Basilisk: The Calling
by 7SheWolfShaman7
Summary: She was robbed of everything. Everyone she loved was gone, except for her young cousin and dog. They were the only ones left, and it was time to move on, time to find someplace new. The nearest island sounded like a good place to call home, until she started being haunted by strange dreams, telling of her part in a great legacy. The prophecy has begun, and no one is safe.
1. The Prophecy

**(A/N) Okay, this is the first chapter of my new fanfiction. I've never worked as hard on any piece of writing than I have on this story (it's prewritten for the most part), so I would greatly appreciate reviews.**

**I think it's important I acknowledge that I got the idea for this fanfiction after reading the story ****_Fire Bringer_**** by David Clement-Davies. It's a fantastic story, which I would recommend reading. You'll find that the prophecy in this story is largely based off of the prophecy in that book, and much of the story, too, although most of it is original.**

**This story is rated T, but it borders on the M rating for violence. In fact, I may end up changing it to M. The violence begins in chapter 2, and you can tell me in your reviews if you think I should change it to M. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this, because it was a lot of fun to write!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon.**

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_**Chapter 1 The Prophecy**_

My Name is Klara Maverick. I used to be much like you. I would talk and spend time with my friends. I would do my chores and I loved my parents. I did what was expected of me, and I thought my life would be just that. Doing what was expected, leading a normal life. But, I guess someone had different plans for me. This is my story, and it's full of unexpected turns. Or maybe you will expect them. I don't really know. Just stick around to find out…

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_Hiccup ran through the forest, bounding lightly as if in slow motion, on his two sound legs. The clouds were overly bright, and the sun shown at an odd angle. His hair flipped around as he bound forward, and he already knew that no one was anywhere to be seen. Indeed, Hiccup knew he would not see anyone else today, at least not here. Yes, he was in the forests of Berk, and yet he was farther than the moon, and beyond the stars. Where he was, Hiccup was unreachable. He knew it, and he reveled in it._

_Then there was a sight that made him stop in his tracks. He was near the sea, for he could hear the sounds of crashing waves, and a few paces away from him stood a shapeless figure, made entirely out of a white light. Hiccup fell to his knees, knowing he was in the presence of a greater being. Indeed, the light was a god, and Hiccup was humbled more than if it was his father scolding him, which said a lot._

_Then there was a deep voice that made Hiccup think of a clear pool of water. It rang out across the land, and yet Hiccup knew it was only he who could hear the words of the god. Strange, the god did not introduce himself, so Hiccup had no inkling about which god he was in the presence of. There were so many gods, he couldn't guess, although he was fairly certain the god was male._

_"Hello, Hiccup," said the god. The sound was clear, and the water flowed effortlessly._

_Hiccup found himself tongue-tied, not knowing what to do. How could a boy talk to a god? What could he even say? However, the god could sense his hesitation._

_"Do you not think I am here in a matter of great importance? I am not here for conversation, so there is no need for you to be at a loss for words."_

_"God," Hiccup found his voice, "why are you here? Why is it me you are speaking to?" Hiccup looked at the light of the great being from where he was kneeling on the ground, but had to shield his gaze from its shear brightness._

_"Don't underestimate yourself, Hiccup. I have chosen you, among all of Berk, to be told first. You have a calm demeanor, and sense to boot." The god laughed, a sound that seemed almost unnerving, but one that lifted Hiccup up in spirit._

_"But t-t-tell me w-what?" Hiccup stammered._

_"There is a great danger coming. You shall see a small part of it soon, but that cannot compare to what is to come." The god's voice had now become grave._

_"What though?"_

_The voice of the god took on a steely pitch, rising to a greater emotion, and Hiccup saw the light of the god's glow flicker a shade of red, then a shade of green. Then the light turned white again._

_"When it seems the world is in the good_  
_And there are friendships everywhere,_  
_A new evil shall stand where happiness stood_  
_And the One shall take to the air._

_Black and white, and somewhere in between_  
_But none can tell them apart_  
_She shall be chased, farther than can be seen_  
_And find an ancient brood has risen, the one hated from the start._

_She will flee and fight_  
_But then the next one shall come_  
_Then she's given the ancient sight_  
_And finds herself not knowing where she came from._

_Danger at every turn,_  
_But she'll pass it with an open mind._  
_Others will see her and learn._  
_Some shall not be so kind._

_Understanding words unknown_  
_And looking at her darkest foe_  
_The One will know what wasn't shown_  
_And find them, to face her woe._

_It is a life of sorrow,_  
_Running and running, farther than can be,_  
_Facing great challenge and death each marrow,_  
_But will return to face her enemy._

_Great power is due given_  
_From the Power of all the beyond_  
_To save those whose lives away were driven,_  
_The Era anew to be spawned_

_She will sacrifice it all_  
_She, a light in the daze._  
_For when it is given, the evil will fall,_  
_And they'll all drop to her and praise._

_She, born to be the one that lights,_  
_Shall come to her end and accept without mar._  
_And when the moon next rises bright_  
_There she will be, among the stars."_

_Hiccup was dumbstruck. What could this possibly mean? "Someone's coming," whispered Hiccup, the realization dawning on him._

_"Not just one, Hiccup, but two. One shall be bright and clear, the other will be a foggy haze," replied the god._

_"But what am I to do with this information? Who do I tell?"_

_"That, young rider, I will leave for you to decide. Trust in your instincts, and tell who you deem fit, for I trust you as well. Remember, trust is the root of every friendship, every alliance. Whether it's there or not makes the difference between the good and bad."_

_The god's light began to fade, sending Hiccup into a panic. "Wait, I still don't know what to do? What happens now?" cried Hiccup, but the god continued to fade._

_"The Calling is here, lad. Now go, go!" yelled the god, then his light was gone, and the wind blew steadily through the cove._

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Hiccup woke with a start, remembering every small detail of the dream. Even though he heard them only once, he could clearly remember every word of the omen the god had told him.

The boy pushed off his covers, seeing the light creaking through the window that signaled dawn. Below him, Hiccup heard the wood chattering as weight went down on it, and he knew his father, Stoick, was already awake. The sound of his father's footsteps creaking over the floorboards echoed throughout the house. Hiccup pulled on his fur vest and descended the stairs.

"Mornin' son," greeted his father as the man arranged two bowls of leftover stew from last night's dinner for breakfast and set them on the table. While his father dug into his stew, Hiccup just sat there staring fitfully at the door.

"Dad? Have you ever heard of The Calling?" Hiccup asked suddenly.

Stoick stared at the boy blankly, not chewing the piece of bread he had just stuffed in his mouth. The look he gave his son was quizzical, but also foreboding. Finally, the man swallowed and began to speak. "Why do you want to know about that, son?"

"I just remember overhearing one of the elders talking a while ago and they said something about The Calling," Hiccup said evasively. Stoick sighed.

"When Vikings first came to the isle of Berk, one of the elders had a vision. They say she saw a great light, and she heard an omen, a prophecy of sorts. It spoke of evil coming, and there being a chosen one, the girl who defeats the evil. But it also spoke of death. The story was rarely told by the time a was born, but my father made sure I heard it. He believed in the lore and legends."

"Do you believe it, Dad?" asked Hiccup, looking at his father's distant stare. Stoick never answered his son's question.

After the breakfast stew, Hiccup went up to the desk by his bed. He pulled out a piece of parchment and his quill pen. Dipping the quill into the ink, he began to write:

_When it seems the world is in the good,_  
_And there are friendships everywhere,_  
_A new evil shall stand where happiness stood,_  
_And the One shall take to the air._

Hiccup paused, thinking about what he had just written. "Something's coming, and someone, too."

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**(A/N) Okay, so what'd you think? This chapter basically sets the stage for the entire story. Review me and tell me what you think. Did you love it? Hate it? Is it awesome, or weak? Review me!**


	2. The Massacre

**(A/N) Okay, so this is where the dark stuff really begins. However, this chapter has the most blood of any chapters for awhile, so don't worry too much about that. I couldn't really write a story about war and suffering without something like this in it. You'll still enjoy the story though.**

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_**Chapter 2 The Massacre**_

"Lass, even when the world turns against you, when it seems as though you just can't go on, you know I'll always be there for you. When the walls push in on you, and you're struggling, I am with you. And even when the darkness closes in, there is always a light to be seen. Klara, there is light," the soft wisp of her voice rose, then fell.

Mum took a last, shuddering breath, and her hand grew limp in mine. And yet I clutched onto it, not willing to accept it. _No, she's not dead! This is all just one bad dream, and Dad will wake me up like he always does, with the bucket of water!_ I would take the ice water happily now, but I knew it wouldn't happen. Dad was laying a mere three feet away, bled white. The hole in his chest shown dark red against his light skin. Part of the hole still held the steel sword, the handle sticking straight out from his chest. Mum's skin began to grow cold, and the last shred of light from her sea green eyes vanished. It faded away like the flick of a candle going out.

"Oh, Mum!" I whispered, and pulled her close to me. The sobs started slow in my gut, and rose throughout my being. The tears flowed down and dropped lazily into her blond hair. "No!" I yelled softly, the words refusing to be louder than just a whisper. My hands clenched into fists, the nails cutting into my palms, but I didn't feel it. Through my tears I looked at my blood soaked hands, and I couldn't tell whether it was just my blood, or the blood of Mum and Dad. Probably all three.

Looking around, I saw that the night skies were still bright from the fires that now engulfed the village. There were bodies all around me, those of my neighbors, my friends, my family, they all lay in heaps. The scent of burning flesh was overpowering, as was the grief. Standing on shaking legs, I pushed myself forward, looking to see if anyone survived besides me. Moving through past the burning cottages, I search for any sign of life. A cough, some movement, a shuddering breath… But I know that I'm unlikely to find anything.

Suddenly, I heard a soft, raspy bark from farther back. I froze, and my limbs carry me back in a flash. It felt almost as if I was flying. _I know that bark like the back of my thumb!_ While weak, it had the courage and life it always had. At the cottage, which was still aflame, I kicked down the door, quite an easy feet considering most of it had been burned by now. A scraggly ash gray dog stumbled from the building, his pelt smoking lightly.

"Axel! You're okay!" I exclaimed. Axel jumped up on me, licking my face despite his own exhaustion. He cleaned away the soot and tears. And the blood. "Axel, we need to see if anyone's okay. Search!" I commanded him, and he immediately stuck his nose to the ground. He ran around sniffing for anything to signal life, perhaps a wisp of breath, or warm blood.

Axel had been renowned as the best tracking dog in the village for years. That was because he was not just a dog. He was half elkhound, and half wolf. Now, I began turning over crates and pieces of rubble wherever he was sniffing, only to find another dead body. And yet we kept searching, holding onto that nonexistent hope that I was not the only survivor. But I could feel it in my heart that the outcasts who had come left no one. If it wasn't for me being in the woods when they came, I would have been killed, too. And for what? Our village was not particularly wealthy, and yet they thought just our livestock would be worth killing everyone for.

I tentatively approached one particular house, and prepared myself for what I knew I'd find. _You don't have to go in!_ I told myself, desperate to just turn around. But I knew I owed her that much. If I didn't look at her now, see her death, then who would? I owed her that much, as a friend and a human. I walked to the back of the house, and I saw her, laying in a patch of blood soaked grass. A spear was embedded in her stomach. _Ida…_ she and I had been best friends since we were toddlers. Her parents were laying a few feet from her, their throats slit.

I looked at her face, her blue eyes staring into oblivion. She was incredibly pale, bled white. In her clenched hand was a carved wooden flute. The conversation we'd had yesterday swirled in my memories-

_"How you always make your carvings so beautiful never ceases to amaze me, Ida."_

_"It's no better than the ones you make. The only difference is I make flutes and whistles and you make necklaces and charms." I smiled as she did a little song on the flute, one our parents would sing around campfires or to sing to us at night when we were younger._

_"No, Ida. Yours are far better, and the music reminds me of the birds on summer days."_

_"You want it, Klara? I'll trade you for one of your necklaces."_

_"Maybe later, Ida. I have to get home now…"_

I had left her then, not wanting to think about giving her one of my carved charms. They were special, since I'd spent many hours painstakingly carving each one with pictures of wolves, bears, snowdrop flowers, daisies, and some of them were of Axel on a scent trail. Now, to think that I had been so… selfish.

I kneeled down beside her, brushing the light blond hair from her face. I put two fingers over her eyelids, closing them. Taking the charm I was wearing, I placed it over her heart. It was one of a wolf nursing her cubs as a dog watched over her. I had made that one after Dad told me about how Axel was part wolf.

Carefully opening her hand, I took the flute. I brought the carved instrument to my lips, and the sound that emerged lifted through the night with a high cadence, and for a moment a flicker of hope went through me. But it disappeared almost immediately. I put the flute into my pack.

"Now I'll always have a piece of you, and you'll always have a piece of me," I whispered to her through my tears. "Goodbye, Ida. You were the best friend I could've ever had."

I forced my feet to move from her house, then continued the search through the village. But Axel didn't signal that anyone was alive. If he said there was no one, then I knew there wasn't. After all, he had been the savior of many avalanche victims, sniffing them out in the deep snow.

Soon we reached the edge of the village, and I looked up to see that the flames were nearly out now. There was just one more house to check, the chief's home. The chief also happened to be my uncle. The cottage was no longer flaming, but was slightly smoking. I carefully pushed open the door, fearful that it might collapse on me. Axel followed me through the house, but it was deserted. I expected this, since most people went outside when the attack began. So I went through the back door to the back of the house, my breath icy creating white clouds in the night.

Uncle, the great Chief Arn, was just as dead as any other person in the village. Next to him, their hands intertwined, lay Aunt Ingrid. _Everyone… they took everyone. They couldn't leave anyone alive…_

I was about to turn back, resigned to the fact that I was all alone, when a gurgling sound registered in my ears. In the next instant, Axel's joyous howl lit up the sky brighter than any flame. I turned, stumbling to Aunt Ingrid's body. Almost completely covered by her body, wrapped in blankets, lay a baby. _Erik…_

The baby began to cry.

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**(A/N) So, how was it? I hope I didn't scare you off with the blood and such. The amount of violence levels off in the coming chapters. Please review!**


	3. Hidden Child and Aligning Stars

**(A/N) Okay, I saw the new episode to Dragons: Riders of Berk, and it kind of throws a wrench into my story. This story is about pre-written, at least halfway, so I can't change it, nor would I want to. Mildew is a very important character in this story, so I'm just going to pretend that the events of We Are Family never happened. I'm sorry for the confusion. Mildew does not actually show up for a few more chapters, but I just thought I'd tell you guys now.**

**Chapter 3 is here! I hope you enjoy!**

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_**Chapter 3 Hidden Child and Aligning Stars**_

Tears of joy ran through me as I picked up my cousin, Erik. I sobbed, knowing fully that it was un-Viking-ish. I let the gut wrenching sobs come, and the baby's cries almost matched them in ferocity. Odin, he's alive.

"Thank you, Thor! Thank you Odin!" I cried.

Sitting down on the ground, I held Erik in my arms, rocking him gently, and his cries began to soften. Axel licked the baby's face, making him giggle with delight. I permitted this, knowing it would soothe Erik a bit as well as clean his face of ash and blood alike.

"She hid you," I whispered to him, though I knew he wouldn't understand me. But I could piece together what Aunt Ingrid had done. When she was dying, she had hidden Erik beneath her body. Enough to go unseen, but not enough to crush him. If Ingrid hadn't done that, Erik would have been killed along with everyone else. I had already seen numerous dead children and a few babies, too, but I hadn't lingered long in those places.

What am I going to do? I thought. Ours was the only village on this island, and the only way off the island was by ship. Most of the ships we had required at least a dozen men to row and steer. There were smaller ships, but would Erik be able to make the journey? He was only five months old, and small at that. But when I looked into his light brown eyes, and saw his small patch of dark brown hair, I could see his father in him, and my father, too.

I wrapped the blanket tighter around him, and carried him in the direction of the food store house. Somehow, the damage of the flames wasn't bad there, and I found barrels of cheese, dried fish, and venison jerky. I packed as much as I could hold into my deer-hide pack, and began towards the armory.

Since the armory was farther off into the woods, the fire never even touched it. Opening the door, I run inside and grab a bow that Dad carved for me, plus several arrows. Hey, you never know when you'll need them. I also took my fine sword and sheath. Then, walking back through the carnage, I approached my home.

I felt like an intruder when I went to my father's side. "I love you, Dad," I said, then turned to Mum. "Love you, Mum."

I kneel down beside my father, holding Erik over him as if to show him his nephew one last time, then I take the knife and it's sheath at his side, placing it in my own belt. Looking from Mum to Dad, I think about how truly lucky I am to have had them as my parents. Dad, always so strong and caring. Mum, always thoughtful and loving. I think about how I look so much like them. Well, more of a combination between the two. Mum has her long blond hair and sea green eyes. Dad has his light brown eyes and dark brown hair. I have hazel eyes and light brown hair, held in a long braid down my back.

"Good bye, I'll miss you," I whisper so silently I could barely hear myself. I carry baby Erik into the house, which has finally stopped burning.

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"Oh, Erik. How am I supposed to care for you?" I whispered to the sleeping baby. It's true, I have no idea how to take care of an infant. I grew up with no younger siblings, and being only fourteen, I haven't had any children yet. Nor do I want any, not yet anyway.

Slinging him over my back in an infant carrier, I packed the boat with my small range of supplies. It was a small row boat, big enough to not be swept over by the rough ocean waves, yet small enough to allow a single person to operate the vessel.

I managed to find a few pouches of goats milk in Mum's little kitchen, and I hoped this would be enough to feed Erik on the three day journey to the nearest island. Some people call our home Hopeless, on account of the fact that there was far less farm land and many more predators, especially dragons, than most Viking settlements. Those who live here call it Mount Cove, since hidden in the mountain ranges are dozens of coves that are thick with trout and salmon. If I set sail north for three days time, I will end up at the Isle of Berk. Now all I have to do is finish my preparation for the journey. But in doing so, I'll have to travel the village, and see the bodies again.

"How can I just walk through and look at each of my friend's, family's, and neighbor's dead eyes?" I asked Axel. He just cocks his head sideways as if to say, I don't know, but I feel for you.

Hesitantly, I begin to drag my feet across the ground, up the slippery hill that leads away from the docks, and make my way back into the village. Instantly my nose wrinkles up in disgust at the acrid scent filling my nostrils. I can't bury them all, I think. I'll leave my village, my family, where they fell. I hesitate a moment. My family. Because I realize that, even though many were quite annoying, I know that each and every one of them is family.

Walking by each body, especially one of a child, makes me feel like a stranger, a foreigner. It's like they're screaming, screaming at me. They're angry because you lived and they died. It was then that I found myself wishing I was dead, too. But if I died, who would bring Erik to Berk?

Then I walk by Ida, still wearing the charm, and I can feel the flute pressing up against me in my pocket.

"I'm sorry, Ida. I'm sorry," I whisper, the tears welling in my eyes. She's not there anymore! She's not in her body anymore! She's gone higher than the sky, beyond the clouds, and made her home in the stars. I deftly pull out the flute, and played the chorus of the song she had played when she first offered it to me. "Good bye, until we meet again."

Now when I walk, I just look straight ahead of me, refusing to see any corpses, and head straight for my house. Carrying Erik inside, I place him on the bed of furs we use as a couch, and I go through the stack of clothes beside it. I then change out of my hunting clothes and into the more warm clothes of winter, consisting of several layers of clothing. First, I pull on a simple green shirt made of a soft woolen material. Over that I wore a sweater made of the warmest yak qiviut, the shed undercoat of the animals which the women of the village collect. My pants, brown in color, are also made of sheep's wool. Finally, I grab my elk hide coat, rabbit fur hat, and gloves. I also pulled out at least half the furs in the pile I had put Erik on, just in case he needs extra wrapping or a bed in the boat.

I carry all of this in my hands down to the hill, dropping it at the top, and bring Erik back into the village center. There's just one more thing I want to do before leaving, and it involves Erik. Directly heading into the chieftain's house, the home of Uncle Arn, and carried little Erik over to his crib. Sitting above the simple wooden structure were several toys carved out of wood. Some were men in battle, some were animals. I held the baby up to the objects.

"Okay, Erik. Which of the toys do you want to bring?" Before I was even finished talking, he was reaching out for one of the toys, grabbing a small hammer. I recognized it. It's a replica of Thor's hammer, something most babies receive at birth to ward off bad omens. The hammer immediately went into his mouth, but I pulled it out before he could swallow. Then he held his hand out again, reaching for a small animal carved of a darker wood. I picked it up for him, realizing it as a bear.

Then something caught my eye, a bright tan color at the edge of the mantle. I fixed my eyes on it. I could tell it was a dragon, but I didn't recognize it as any from around here. In fact, I've never seen anything like it, with it's long muzzle, outstretched neck, and a broad crest extending from the top of it's head. The back feet had incredibly long toes, with short claws. And the tail was far-reaching and flat like an eel's tail, with short spikes moving down the spine, and the steering fins of the tail spread far apart, much like that of a Scauldron. The entire body seemed to be pricked and felt rough to the touch, like it was covered in thorns.

"Why would your parents have a toy of a dragon?" I asked no one. It seemed truly baffling that the chieftain, who was known to hate dragons more than most, would have carved a toy of a dragon for his son. Me personally, I never cared for the dragon wars. But I would kill one in an instant if it meant protecting my family. I was glad enough to stay far away from such a predator, and hoped I'd never have to tangle with one. I didn't hate them, but I couldn't exactly love them either, what with the constant raids.

Then I found Erik's chubby hands reaching for the toy, which I had picked up. I let him take it, and he immediately brought it to his face, not trying to chew on it, but just hugging it. Clearly Uncle Arn has let Erik spend a great deal of time playing with this toy. I picked the dragon toy up, putting it in my pack, and carried Erik back to the boat.

After I packed all the supplies onto the boat, I climbed in, Axel right behind me. I pushed off and began rowing northward. The waves were calm for this part of autumn, making the rowing much easier. As Mount Cove got smaller and smaller behind me, I pulled out Ida's flute, playing a song we sing at Snoggletog, the winter holiday. The song was played to give thanks for the happiness the holiday always gave, and to symbolize the hope that the coming year would bring.

For me, it was my farewell song to the place I've called home all my life, and the people who died there.

* * *

My first day out at sea. How I worked up the courage to leave on this adventure, I'll never know, but it's much easier knowing I have Axel to keep me company, and perhaps Erik can keep me distracted from the reality of the situation. Now, as we drift from the island of Mount Cove, any time I don't spend rowing and steering, I'm spending tending to Erik.

"Well, I guess that's one thing you're good for," I told him. The baby just grinned up at me, giggling. In spite of myself, I found myself smiling back. I brought the infant closer to me, hugging him. "We're the only one's left of our village. And we'll stick together… always."

Always. That was a promise.

Feeding him was a bit of a challenge. I didn't exactly have the tools for it, if you know what I mean, so I'm down to just pouring a bit of goat's milk in his mouth. I think back to what Mum once told me about feeding a baby by hand. I take up some of the milk from the pouch and pour a tiny bit in his mouth, and place my finger inside his mouth before he starts to choke. After the initial shock, his eyes go from wide open to comfortably closed. Erik starts to suck on my finger, drinking the milk as he does so.

"There you go, Erik," I whisper, rocking him gently in my lap.

Each time he finished the milk I poured in a little more, and he continued his rhythmic sucking. Very soon, he had had his fill of milk, and I tapped on his back, making a loud burp arise from him. Axel began to lick the baby's face gently, like a mother dog would for her own pups, and Erik was relaxed into a deep sleep. I made sure to wrap him in extra blankets and furs, and as night fell I held the infant closer to me. Like I was trying to protect him.

"Wow, I take care of a baby for one day and I'm already acting like a crazy mother," I joke to Axel. He tilts his head, like he was saying, Hey, it happens to the best of us. "Yeah, I guess you're right boy. Oh, I've got to find a way to keep this milk cold." I said, realizing that Erik would have nothing to eat if I couldn't keep the milk from spoiling. There's no ice to put it in. At home, Mum would just immediately start making the milk into cheese. But I can't really do that here, and Erik wouldn't eat cheese anyway.

Suddenly, an idea comes to me. I slip my fingers over the side of the boat, feeling the cold water. Within moments, my fingers have gone numb, and I smile in triumph. Deftly tying a piece of rope around the milk pouch, and the other end to the seat I'm on, I carefully place the milk pouch in the cold water. The water's cold enough to keep the milk from spoiling. My eyes gazed onto the water until the rope went taut, and the pouch bobbed to the surface, causing little ripples in its wake.

After setting Erik down on the pile of furs I had brought, I sat back on the plank, getting to some serious rowing. I admit to have neglected this during the day, and there seems to be absolutely no tide, which means no hope of just drifting northward. Grabbing the rough ores in my numb hands, I pull back and forth, back and forth, getting into a bit of a rhythm. Only now do I realize how much of this I'll be doing for the next couple days.

"It's going to be a long two more days, isn't it, Axel?" I asked the dog, who was sitting down at my feet. He yipped in reply, making the baby flinch.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, a shimmering white light came into view over the eastern horizon. The moon was unsheathed, and let out into the indigo blue sky, dotted with stars. The vast orb surrounded by the stars seemed to be like a lord surrounded by his loyal citizens. Or a mother with her many children.

"It's beautiful," I whispered in awe.

The light shined over the frigid ocean, and its image was imprinted in the waves. Overhead, a harem of stars shot by in a flash. First one came by, brighter than the sun, and it's beams of light seemed to take up the entire sky. Then another, and then the whole night lit up with the streams of white light. Like a shimmering river of light rays.

"It's them," I said, staring at each streak moving across the sky. The first one that was bright, that was like Uncle Arn, then the others had followed suit.

A few streaked by that were slightly dimmer, but whose light reached farthest. The elders. The ones that flew close to each other, their shine swirling into one, reminded me of the children that would play together in the village center. Two bright stars shot by. Mum. Dad.

The stars came by the hundreds, and it amazed me that I could link each to a face. But it seemed as though the stars were outnumbering the villagers. They just kept coming. They took up the sky, turning it from black to a pristine silvery-gray color, like mist after a cold rain shower. Like it wasn't only our village, but past that. Then it came to me.

"They're all here. Everyone. The ones who've already gone to join the Gods. All the ancestors."

Then the stars suddenly stopped coming. The trail ran its course across the sky, and soon disappeared over the horizon. The glimmer of light that had trailed them evaporated into the sky, and it seemed it was all over.

But it wasn't. One star, coming cloaked in a mighty covering of white light, swept almost lazily across the dark sky, my eyes following the path it created. It didn't just leave a path, it created one. The trail the star had taken now left a clear silver line etched into the inky darkness. The direction it took, like that of every other star, pointed northward. This star, directly above my head, seemed to pause a moment in its flight. Then something amazing happened. The star expanded, shining its rays in every direction, making it appear larger than the moon, and brighter than the sun. The blazing rays began to spiral, faster and faster.

Absentmindedly, I reached into my pocket, pulling out the flute. I turned the small instrument around in my fingers, and noticed a small mark I hadn't seen before. A mark in the shape of a spiral. I brought the flute to my lips and began to play the song she had first played to me on this flute. The notes rose with a strange ferocity into the night, but with it was an odd energy, a feeling of freedom and hope that I hadn't yet permitted myself to begin to accept. Now I could just taste the edges of it, and it was sweet, yet sour.

Axel rose his head and let out his melodious song. The flute's notes, along with Axel's howls, made the night grow alive with music. The star, still spiraling, flashed once, and the spiral turned into a round figure again. She continued her descent across the sky, until she, too, finally disappeared over the horizon. Axel's howls and my flute's song stopped, and the air was filled with an eerie silence, which dissipated moments later.

Only one face flashes in my mind. There was only one person that could have matched the brightness of that star in spirit. She was the one who had made the flute I now clutched in my hand.

"So this is the final journey," I spoke, my voice calm and even. "Then I am honored to be a witness to this. Goodbye, my people. May you find refuge among the stars."

* * *

**(A/N) So, what'd you guys think of the new chapter? Please review, because I really want to know how you feel about the story so far. Thank you!**


	4. Lost and Found

**(A/N) Chapter four coming your way! This is where our Berkians come into the mix.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4 Lost and Found**_

While the winds were still slow, the air became much more frigid. Every breath a took  
came out as a liquid silver, which quickly evaporated into the air. On the bright side, it kept Erik's goat milk nice and cold as it drifted through the freezing waters. However, the baby himself was getting very cold, despite the number of furs I've wrapped him in. Erik's lips were slightly blue, and his entire face was cold to the touch.

"What am I to do?" I asked Axel, who was unaffected by the cold, what with his thick winter coat that keeps all the heat inside. He was nearly as toasty as he would be if it was one of the three slightly warm months of the year. It gave me an idea. "Come on, Axel!" I said, leading the dog over to where I had rested the baby on the rocking boat.

Axel seemed to know what I wanted, and he instinctively curled his body around the sleeping child. He used his long legs and gently draped them over Erik, and within minutes the child stopped shivering, so I could turn my attention to the serious task of rowing. I had spent most of my time rowing, and my arms were incredibly sore, as were my stomach muscles.

"It's the only way I'm going to get where I'm going, so I've got to keep it up," I continuously told myself.

In order to keep up my strength, I've had to take frequent eating breaks, and I'm relieved I had the foresight to bring extra food, but even with the extra food, my muscles began to scream whenever I used them. Most voyages using these small boats have two people to take turns with the rowing, and the journeys are usually less than a day long. I can't ask Erik for help, and I doubt Axel could maneuver an ore, so I was stuck doing all the work. However, I thought I would be seeing land by now. We were halfway through the second day of travel, so I should be seeing land in the far distance. Now, when I stare at the horizon, all I see is the dark blue of the ocean.

"I don't get it! I'm going north," I exclaimed, looking at the sun over head. It was slightly past its highest point, heading westerly in the sky. Judging by the position, I was in fact going north.

After rowing for about another hour, Erik began to cry loudly with hunger, so I paused to give him some goat's milk. His wails subsided, and he immediately began to suck on my finger when I poured the milk in his mouth. After the feeding, I could see that his milk was half gone, but I remained hopeful it would last.

Now, as I rewrapped his blankets around him, he almost immediately fell back asleep. I knew this was a good thing. The more he slept, the less energy he used, the less milk he would need. At my side, Axel looked up at me pleading with his pine green eyes, a soft whine emanating from his throat. I reached into the food bag and pulled out a strip of jerky.

"There you go boy," I said, tossing him the food, which he readily chomped down on. It was gone in seconds, and he looked up again. "Sorry, boy, but I can't feed you more. I have to make sure we have enough food for the rest of the trip. When we get to Berk, I swear I'll give you a whole chunk of elk meat." Axel licked his chops.

Feeling Erik begin to shiver again, I held him close to me, buttoning my coat over him. Only his head peeked out, and the shivering stopped immediately as he shared my body heat. _I love you, Erik,_ I thought. I don't know why I should be growing so attached to him. Sure, he's my cousin. Sure, he and I are the only survivors of the massacre. But I had never even held him for more than an hour in all before, and now I feel like I can't put him down.

"I guess I can qualify now as an adoptive mother," I said jokingly to Axel. But it was true, I was getting really attached to Erik.

Unfortunately, the time I spent tending to Erik, not to mention rowing all day, had robbed me of sleep. With no sleep for more than two days, my eyes were constantly drooping, and I caught myself nodding off multiple times. Quickly realizing I wouldn't be able to continue like this, I made sure our course was firm, and pulled Erik out of my coat, placing him on the pile of furs.

"Do you think you can watch Erik for me, boy?" I asked the dog, who yipped in reply, then settled himself by the child, curling his body around Erik.

Satisfied, I laid down on the floor of the rowboat, and closed my eyes, immediately slipping off into unconsciousness.

* * *

_"Come on, Klara! Let's go!" screamed Ida with delight. I tumbled after her, with Axel fallowing close behind me._

_Our parents had just sent us off on a hunt, and we were racing off in the direction of the forest. It would also be Axel's first hunt after all the time I spent training him, and I could tell he showed a lot of promise._

_We reached the tree line, and immediately our footfalls quieted, our breathing became hushed, and we turned each sense on. The air was crisp on this bright autumn day, and we listened for the distinctive clacking of antlers that signaled the rutting elk. The mating season for the elk had begun several days earlier. In their hormone-filled state, the males would be easy targets, but there would be no way for Ida and me to carry home an entire bull elk. Instead, we would target a cow or older elk._

_Axel stuck his nose to the ground, searching for the scent of the elk herds. It wasn't long before he found a trail, and the ecstatic pup led us silently through the shadowy evergreen forest. Within an hour we found ourselves at the edge of a clearing, hidden in a copse of bushes. By staying downwind, the elk had not been able to scent us. Now, we could see the group of elk, a dozen young cows, followed closely by the yearlings, calves of the previous year. Intermingling with the cows were a few elderly bulls and cows. And, patrolling his harem for rival males, was a magnificent bull elk with a mighty rack as wide as I was tall._

_Slowly turning our heads to each other, Ida and I exchanged glances, nodded, and turned back to the herd. Silently, in one slow and fluid motion, we raised our bows and shot two arrows at an elderly cow. Each arrow met its mark, one in the chest, the other in the flank. The herd bolted, and the cow ran a few bounds then collapsed._

_"We got it!" I exclaimed._

_We ran out of the copse to the dead cow, and both of us exchanged victorious glances. I looked down at Axel with pride. "Looks like those five months of tracker training were well spent!" I said, giving Axel a pat between the ears._

_Then I saw a change in the dog. He pinned his ears back, eyes narrowed, and the dog let out a savage growl. My confounded expression was answered when Axel turned to the trees, letting out several warning barks._

_"Klara look out!" screamed Ida. I turned, and a yellow flame shot out at my chest._

_I lunged to my left, narrowly missing a death blow, but I felt my left arm catch the shot. My arm screamed with the agony of the burn, and I looked up at the Nadder taking off, the cow we killed in its claws. I listened to the heavy flapping of the Nadder flying away as Ida rushed to my aid._

* * *

The same flapping sound rang out in the air. My eyes were still closed, and I couldn't tell whether this was just part of my dream. Axel let out a series of barks, but that had been a part of my dream, too. Then I heard the wailing of a baby, and my eyes flew wide open, and I screamed at the sight above me.

A great black dragon was hovering a twenty feet above my head, it's flapping wings blasting air down at me. But I was sure I was mistaken when I saw what was on the dragon's back.

"Who are you?" came the voice of the boy riding the Night Fury dragon.

And the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

I made to grab the wailing Erik.

"Get away from us!" I screamed, holding the infant close to me.

"Whoa, relax!" said the rider calmly. "My name's Hiccup. It looks like you're in a bit of trouble." Hiccup whispered something to the dragon, and it landed in the sea, floating like a raft while the boy sat on top of it. The boy had the same green eyes as Mum, and the brown hair of my dad, with a mix of auburn to it. But that's where the comparisons ended. He was quite scrawny, and not much taller than I was.

"This is Toothless," he said, patting the Night Fury on the head, and I could hear it give a loud purr. Toothless? I could plainly see a long row of sharp white teeth, but I looked away. "What's your name?"

I didn't answer him. What could I possibly have to say to someone who would ride a dragon?

"That's okay, you don't need to say anything. I'm perfectly fine with being ignored," said Hiccup sarcastically. "I take it you're not from Berk?" I shook my head slowly, still clutching Erik close to me. He finally stopped crying. "Well, the currents are going out, so there's no way you'll be able to make it to Berk on a boat like that," he said, gesturing to my rowboat.

I sighed. This wasn't good. I was sure he'd make me beg for help. But no, he surprised me again.

"I'll help you out. But let me give you a fair warning about Berk. Keep an open mind," he said.

He pulled out a rope from the bag at his side, and tied it to the saddle. Then, after he threw the other end of the rope to my boat, I tied it to the front.

"You're going to want to hold on tight," he said, then squared himself on the dragon.

Just before he was going to take off, I found my voice. "My name's Klara," I got out.

Hiccup put on a big smile, showing ear to ear, and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Klara," and he and the dragon took off into the air, pulling the boat behind them. The boat sliced through the waves, and the Night Fury seemed to be going at just half speed so he wouldn't tip the boat clear over. He didn't ask any questions about Axel or the baby, but just kept going.

I leaned back in my chair, scolding myself for speaking at all to someone like him. Someone who would actually _get on_ a dragon, let alone _befriend_ it. I don't know why I had to speak at all.

I turned to look at Axel, giving him a questioning expression. The dog just cocked his head and laid down in the thrashing boat. I held Erik close to me, trying to focus on him instead of that strange boy who was escorting us to Berk. But what had he meant when he said to keep an open mind?

* * *

My breath came in sharp and ragged, and I could feel myself hyperventilating. _Who are these people?_ I had always thought Berk hated dragons more than any other island. I kept Erik firm in my grasp, refusing to let him out of my grip when I saw all that was going on before me.

Dragons! Dragons everywhere. People were riding them, feeding them, walking with them everywhere. A girl with a Deadly Nadder flew above me. An old woman was sitting on a chair in the distance with a Terrible Terror in her lap. A Gronkle walked through the village center, pulling a cart in its wake.

"I told you, you have to keep an open mind," Hiccup yelled down at me, raising his voice to be heard above the beach winds.

Near the docks, people began to gather, seeing the dark dragon and its rider pulling in a tiny rowboat. A most unusual sight. But what must have been even more unusual was the sight of who was in the boat, my boat. They see a girl with a load of supplies in a pathetic dingy with her scruffy wolf dog and a baby in her arms.

"What a first impression I must be making," I whispered to Axel, who gave me an oblivious look, then turned to look back at the waiting villagers. I just hoped they didn't think Erik was _my_ baby.

"Well, this is Berk! Prime realty, huh?" Hiccup said in a sarcastic tone when he landed the dragon on the dock. He pulled my boat in and tied it to a beam supporting the dock, and the crowd closed in around us.

A man on the dock held out his hand to help me out of the boat while a woman offered to take the baby while I got out. I just gripped Erik tighter in reply to her, and took the man's hand. He pulled me onto the dock, and all around me I could hear the crowd murmuring.

"Who is she?"

"Where'd she come from?"

"Why does she have a baby?"

Then a girl landed next to Hiccup on her blue Nadder, the same girl who was flying above us when Hiccup was pulling me in. "Hey Hiccup! What's going on?" she said, looking at me, then the crowd.

"Hi Astrid. To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. I was flying Toothless, found her boat, and helped tow her in," Hiccup answered.

"So I guess now you have to go to the Great Hall to meet Stoick, the chief," the girl, Astrid, said, addressing me.

"Why do I have to meet the chief?" I asked, shaking a little bit.

"Anyone new to the village, even if they're just visiting for a night, needs to see the chief," Astrid replied.

"Okay then…" I said in reply. So they led me through the village as people continued to gawk at me. Axel trotted happily at my side, but was on alert, sensing my unease. I followed behind Hiccup to the top steps of an enormous building at the top of a hill, residing near the tree line.

Astrid and Hiccup pushed open the doors with a great creak, and beyond I could see a very large man with red hair talking to a blond-haired man missing both his left hand and right leg. I stared in wonder at the mug that was attached to the stub of his hand, almost like a prosthetic, and the man took a great gulp from the mug, which probably contained mead. I was guessing that the red haired man was the chief, since his posture conveyed that of a leader, and he wore a long luxurious cape made of bear fur.

"Hello, son!" said the chief to Hiccup, which threw me for a loop. A scrawny little… well, hiccup being the son of such a big man, and a chief at that. Almost unheard of.

"Hey Dad, there's someone new here. I found her out at sea, helped her bring her boat in," Hiccup said, and we walked up to Chief Stoick. I stopped in front of the chief, listening to the villagers filing into the room. The man looked me up and down, paused his gaze at the dog at my side, then the baby in my arms.

"And who are you, lass?" he asked gently, seeing my trembling.

"M-my name is Klara Maverick," I began tentatively. "This is my cousin Erik. I am from the island of Mount Cove, or it is also known as Hopeless. I am the daughter of Alina and Sven the True. Niece of Ingrid and Arn the Victorious."

"The chief of Mount Cove," whispered the chief to himself, then he addressed me. "Why have you come to Berk then, if you are of a wealthy family with a good life? And with the son of the chief and a scraggly dog at that?"

"Chief, Erik and I are the sole survivors of a horrible massacre."

The entire room gasped, and Stoick's eyes drew wide open. But he quickly composed himself again.

"Everyone's dead. The chief, my parents, my village. All the people are gone, even the children and babies," I said, feeling myself tighten my grip on Erik. Tears pooled in my eyes as the images of all the dead flashed in my mind's eye. "All killed by outcasts."

"But how did you, a mere child, and a small infant survive among all?" the chief asked.

"I was in the woods, looking for game when they came. And as for Erik," I said, looking at him with a smile. "I found him with his mother, my Aunt Ingrid. She hid him under her as she was dying."

"My Odin. Oh my Gods!" muttered Stoick, before he turned to me with kind eyes. "You are welcome to stay with us. You will have a home here, Klara." He looked out at the people who had filed inside. "Is there anyone here who would let this girl and the baby stay with them?" the chief called out to the crowd.

No one came forward. No one spoke up. The crowd remained quiet.

"Is there anyone who would give a girl refuge who has been through so much? Anyone who makes such a journey, taking on the responsibility of her baby cousin, deserves a home!" the chief yelled into the hall.

"She'll come home with us," came a man's voice from within the crowd. The crowd shifted as the man and woman made their way through, and walked up to the chief.

"Mum? Dad?" piped Astrid.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson," Stoick said, shaking their hands. The chief went on talking in quiet with a few men and women, while I stood there quietly, not knowing what to do.


	5. Two Foes

_**Chapter 5 Two Foes**_

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" asked Mrs. Hofferson with concern filling her icy blue eyes. She and Mr. Hofferson, along with Astrid and Hiccup, had just led me to the Hofferson home, a quaint house midway down the hill the entire village laid over.

"No," I told her, not taking my gaze away from the ground.

"Okay then. You need anything, you just holler for us, lass," the woman said kindly, then left the room. I just sat there with Erik in my arms while he made soft gurgling sounds. I heard soft footsteps and turned to see Astrid walking into the room, Axel following close behind her.

"You okay, Klara?" she asked after a long moment's pause.

I sighed, then shook my head. Astrid didn't question further. Then a thought came to my mind.

"How did it happen?" I asked her. My eyes flicked towards the house doors, and I could hear the grunts and roars just beyond.

"What?"

"You know, how did the… dragons… happen," I got out slowly.

"Hiccup. He shot down a Night Fury, became friends with it, defeated a dragon the size of a mountain, and now all the dragons love us," she said, being quite vague. She saw the confused expression on my face. "Hiccup and I will tell you tomorrow."

She paused to look at the dog. "He reminds me of my Nadder. Calm, yet spirited." I flinched at her reference to a dragon. Like my dog has anything in common with them. Astrid was oblivious. "What's his name," she asked.

"Axel," I replied quietly.

"Why do you call him that?"

"Well, when he was a pup, he ran in front of a wagon and got hit in the shoulder by the axel. Didn't get hurt too bad, just a few bruises and a limp that lasted a few days."

"Well, it sounds like a good name," said Astrid happily as she pet the dog in between the ears, and I heard Axel groan with pleasure. I couldn't help it, my face lit up just the tiniest bit.

"That's one of his favorite spots to be petted," I told her, and she looked at me with a grin.

"Oh, and where's his favorite spot?"

"On his neck, right by the base of his chin," I answered, and Astrid readily moved her hands to rub the dog's neck. Axel extended his neck, and Astrid dutifully rubbed harder. The dog closed his eyes, such was his pleasure. Anything would amuse a dog like Axel.

"Stormfly likes the exact same spot," said the girl, and the smile immediately dropped from my face. Astrid saw this, and didn't go further.

"So," I ventured. "What's the story about this place. Why do you have dragons. And don't be so vague this time."

"Long story," said Astrid with a sigh.

"I've got time," I prompted. I had to know how this happened.

Astrid spent the next hour telling the story, making it sound quite heroic, and I'm sure it was. This happened about a year ago, apparently. Astrid finished it with a smile, and I had no idea what to think.

"Good night, Klara," she said, getting up. "By the way, I gave Axel a bit of fish. So you don't need to worry about feeding him." Then she was gone.

I laid down on the bed on the floor they set up for the night. They say tomorrow I'll get a real one, but I don't care. Personally, I don't see the difference between sleeping on the floor and sleeping on a wooden bed. Besides, this way I can let Erik sleep against me without worrying he'd fall off a bed.

I gripped the thick bundle of furs around Erik and me, and I felt Axel drape himself over me, curling around my legs. I felt his warmth transfer to my shaking body, and I relaxed, letting sleep devour me.

* * *

_"Klara, come here!" beckoned the voice. It echoed out across the forest, but I recognized it as no forest I had ever been to. The voice seemed to not be coming from just one location, but from the forest itself. Against suspicion, I ventured into the evergreen wood._

_The trees opened and swallowed me into an ominous setting of shadows, the trees blocking out the sky. The sounds of the forest were nonexistent here, for just beyond the boundary of the trees ducks were calling, the elk were singing, and the wind whistled steadily through the sky. Silence was now everywhere, and the animals seemed to have all fled. Yet I continued on, for some unknown reason on my part. Perhaps it was just curiosity, perhaps I just wanted to know what was driving life away._

_Yet life here was abundant. The trees sported full branches of needles, free from any dead ones despite the crisp chill, and along the trunks of the pines vines climbed up, reaching for any handhold and clinging to it. The wind whispered eerily through the trees, not like the cheerful whistle of the open. Thick bracken and moss lined the forest floor, muffling each footstep. Every turn showed the green of thriving plant life, and yet no animals were there to feed. I realized that soon the plants would be overgrown, and then no life at all would exist here._

_"Klara, keep moving. Come to me," the voice echoed through again, and it felt like the leaves were shuddering as much as I was at the sudden booming in the distilled quiet._

_"I'm coming." I heard the sound of my voice with some shock, for I hadn't opened my mouth. I had formed no words. My mind's voice was now echoing through the trees. "Very strange."_

_I found myself approaching the edge of the trees. The lines of trees were anything but uniform, and nearly every gap between the tree trunks was covered in overgrown vines, bushes, and other plants. Nothing beyond a few specks of light shown through from the other side of the trees, and I imagine it would be true for the opposite facing side as well. Approaching, not without some hesitation, I lifted my arm slowly to the vines. To my amazement, they parted immediately despite how thoroughly tangled they were into surrounding plants._

_The sight that greeted me forced a smile to my face. The bright sky shown clear blue and rained down sunshine everywhere, the warmth of it seeping into my chilled skin, and I found myself pulling off my sweater. Bright green grass had grown halfway to my knees, and dotted throughout the meadow were hundreds of milk thistle and oslos flowers. They dotted the ground like white and purple stars. The suspicious silence was now replaced with the chattering of squirrels and the song of birds. I walked a short distance through the richly-scented fields and looked out into the distance of a white beach dotted with clam shells. The sweet scent of grass mixed with the salty tinge of the open sea as I marveled at how the land just melted into the water instead of a sheer cliff dropping down into the ocean._

_"Klara," the same voice whispered behind me. I wheeled about and started at the owner of the voice. Ten paces away, floating above the ground, a glaze of white light swirled. I knew this was a heavenly being, and so I bowed down, and waited for the god to speak to me. "Klara, you have made quite a journey, but you still have much ahead of you. Fear not, I am with you."_

_"Who are you?" I asked unsteadily, and realized my voice once again came at my own will. "Which god?"_

_"Does it matter?" the god said without emotion, as if it were a very idiotic question. "Now, you have much to go through. But soon there will be another one. You will meet your greatest enemy twice, each a different foe. But one will be a far greater danger. The other, you shall use the first to defeat."_

_The god suddenly began to dim it's light, and I realized the being was leaving, for it began to raise up into the air. "Wait!" I cried. "What are you talking about?"_

_The light continued to look away, but it said one last thing before it disappeared altogether. "Look to the East!" the voice cried._

_Immediately, I turned to face an easterly direction, and realized there was something else in the clearing. But it was, like the god, shrouded in light. The edges of my vision clouded in the bright fog, and the world crept away from me._

* * *

I woke with a start, and realized I had been dreaming.

"Klara, are you okay?" asked Astrid, standing over me in the dim light of early morning. She wore a questioning and slightly concerned expression on her face.

"What? Uh, y-yeah, I'm f-f-fine," I stammered, picking Erik up into my arms. I could tell that Astrid didn't believe me, but I shrugged it off.

In truth, my dream had deeply unsettled me. I quickly told myself that I was being foolish, that that's all it was, a dream. However, when these thoughts came to my head, with it, it seemed as though someone were scolding me. For what, I don't know.

"Well, come on, Klara," Astrid said, moving toward the doors.

"Where are we going?" I responded, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

"We're going to show you around the village," she answered simply. "Me and Hiccup and the rest of the group. There's only a few others. We'll introduce you to them."

"But you might want to leave baby Erik with us," I heard Mrs. Hofferson say from behind me. I turned to see her descending the stairs, walking towards me. I instinctively pulled Erik closer when she held her arms out to take the baby. "Come now, Klara. You've taken great care of the child, but you can't take him everywhere. You need a break. Go on, walk through the village with Astrid and the others. I'll care for young Erik," the woman said, holding her arms out again.

I finally relented, gingerly placing the sleeping infant into Mrs. Hofferson's outstretched arms. I smiled helplessly, feeling like I was actually his mother and was being separated from him. But I walked away, reluctantly, with Astrid. She seemed eager enough, which gave me some reassurance. Axel followed at my heals as we walked out the door and found Hiccup and a few others standing just beyond the front steps of the house.

"Hey Astrid! Hey Klara!" called Hiccup, giving a friendly wave to us. His face shown bright with a smile, revealing slightly crooked teeth. It looked almost charming, and I could see his sea green eyes light up when we approached the group.

"Hey Hiccup!" said Astrid, punching Hiccup lightly on the shoulder. A small yelp of surprise escaped the boy, and I laughed inwardly. Then Hiccup looked at me.

"This is the rest of the group, Klara," he said, gesturing to the rest of the teens surrounding us. "That's Fishlegs and my cousin Snotlout," he said, pointing to a fat boy with shaggy blond hair who had a look of nervousness about him, then to a black-haired boy that had his chest puffed out, trying to look bigger than he really was.

Seeing me, he put on a flirty face and said, "Hello, beautiful. Nice to meet you."

I rolled my eyes, and Hiccup just sighed. "His dad is my father's second-in-command. His mother is my late mum's younger sister." He glared daggers at the boy. "And those are the twins, Ruffnut," he said, looking at the girl, "and Tuffnut," he pointed to the boy. Both had long blonde hair and blue eyes, each wearing mischievous smirks as if they were helmets. The boy, Tuffnut, punched the girl on the arm, and Ruffnut responded with a vicious right jab in the jaw that sent Tuffnut sprawling.

"Do they always do that?" I asked as the twins started to wrestle each other, punching and kicking.

"Oh yes," responded Hiccup. "In fact, this is them when they're holding back," Hiccup rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Yikes. Well, at least it's a way to spend your time. Back home, I usually spent my free time either working on my carvings, or hunting." My eyes cast down at the thought of home, and Astrid jumped in to change the subject.

"Okay, well. Let's go, there's plenty to see on the island," she said, trying to make her voice cheerful.

"Lets get on our dragons and go then!" shouted Tuffnut, squirming to disengage from his sister who held him in a firm headlock.

My eyes widened in fear, and I stepped back a bit. My eyes shot down the village road where I could here the grunts and growls of dragons. Astrid came to my rescue.

"Uh, I don't that's a good idea," she said suddenly. "We'll go on foot." I could see her staring daggers at Tuffnut, but the boy just didn't know to stop.

"But that's no fun!" he yelled. Ruffnut hit him in the jaw with another right jab, and he fell to the ground.

"Done and done," said Ruffnut, clearly pleased with herself. Tuffnut's eyes were spinning, and Snotlout pulled him gruffly to his feet.

"Lucky sh-shot," stammered Tuffnut as he battled to regain his balance.

"Guys," Hiccup said in an annoyed voice, "let's just go."

We headed down through the village, and they showed me the houses they each called home, the Great Hall, and where they hold most of the animals. After going through the village, they led me down to the beach. The sand was a golden tan color with seaweed running up and down it. I spied a shark tooth entwined in the seaweed, and bent down to pick it up.

"This shark tooth came from a great white shark pup," I told them.

"Wow, how do you know that? Aren't all shark teeth the same?" asked Hiccup. "Is it the size?"

"No, you can't tell by size. You can tell by the shape. It's shaped like a triangle and it's serrated," I replied.

"Wait, how do you know it came from a pup?" asked Snotlout. "Couldn't it be from a grown shark but just a smaller tooth?"

"Not really, you can tell, once again, by it's shape that it's a front tooth. It's too small to be the front tooth of an adult shark. There must be an inlet close by where the mother goes to have her pups."

"Wow, you really know a lot about sharks," said the awed Astrid.

"Well, Dad used to teach me all about animals, and I learned some of it by myself. It's always a good idea for a hunter to know who she's going after, and also to know the ones she has to be careful of," I told them, some pride stirring inside me. Then I deflated a bit when I thought about all the things I learned from Dad, that I'd never have that opportunity again.

"A lot like Fishlegs in that regard," muttered Ruffnut. "Knowing stuff, I mean."

Suddenly, the air above shattered as the ear-splitting roars of two Monstrous Nightmares sounded. I looked up to see the two dragons shooting fire at each other, their bodies aflame. Again they roared, and began to lunge for each other's throats.

"They're fighting!" cried Hiccup.

"What do we do?" yelled Fishlegs.

"I think that's obvious. We run!" said Tuffnut.

The others all immediately ran for cover. But I didn't. I was glued to my spot, gripping the shark tooth so firmly I could feel blood begin to trickle down my hand. Run! I screamed at myself. Run! But I was stuck. My limbs were heavier than boulders, and I was paralyzed. It wasn't exactly fear that held me there, but just confusion. I could really feel my thoughts jumbling, and my legs wouldn't listen to my head. Disorientation. The word made itself clear as the explanation for what was happening.

"Klara, what are you doing!?" cried Astrid. "Get out of there!"

Suddenly, one of the dragons shot a blaze at the other, but the creature dodged, and now the fire was going straight at me. I heard Astrid's call and finally my legs would move. It seemed as if the world was going in slow motion as I made to run for the rest of the group, but it was too late. The fire blasted straight into my left arm, in the same spot the Nadder had burned that first day I had hunted with Axel and Ida in the forest. The heat seared into me, and I felt myself thrown head over heals, skidding to a stop near the frigid water's edge.

I ground my teeth together to keep myself from crying out, and I held my eyes closed. There was a furious licking at my face. Axel. I heard my heart beat in my ears, and in between beats there was the steady flap of wings that signaled the Monstrous Nightmares' exits. Suddenly I was being pulled to my feet, and arms were pulling off my coat. I opened my eyes, and the others were looking at my arm.

"Your arm's all right. It's burned good, but the burn's not deep," I heard Ruffnut's voice.

"Klara, this was just an accident," came Hiccup's voice. "This never happens, don't think that all the dragons do is fight and hurt people."

"Enough Hiccup," I said simply. Still holding the shark tooth, I began to walk back up to the village. The others were left there, staring blankly at me walking away from them. Axel followed as I suddenly veered of into the woods.

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**(A/N) One thing: REVIEW!**


	6. A Right to Life

**(A/N) Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I've been pretty busy lately, and I wanted to catch up on the writing of my other stories. I know it's no excuse, but here's a good chapter, one of my favorites, to make up for it. Enjoy!**

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_**Chapter 6 A Right to Live**_

I was too tired for tears to come, so I just walked into the woods. I tore a piece of cloth from my wool undershirt and began to bandage the wound on my arm, wincing at the rough contact. I continued on through the crisp woods, Axel padding along after me. Near a clearing, I heard the clacking of antlers from rutting elk, and the distant howl of a wolf, announcing her whereabouts to her pack. Eventually, I came to a fallen tree, now a hollow log, and sat down on it. Axel hopped onto the log with me, ears pricked and eyes wide, his pupils dilated. But I didn't put too much on it, considering what had just happened. He was probably as upset as me.

"I just hope it all ends soon," I whispered, but Axel did not turn at the sound of my voice. I didn't pay attention to it. I couldn't deal with all of this. I just needed all the trouble to end.

Suddenly, Axel jumped off the log, landing with a dull thud on the soggy earth. The dog trotted the perimeter of the hollow tree, bounding around to the open end. I turned, slightly interested in his peculiar behavior, and noticed with apprehension that his ears were pinned back flat against his head, his teeth bared. His narrowed eyes shot daggers into the log, and his tail was held up. A chill shot through me, for I could see Axel had turned on his guarding instinct. But I could see he wasn't fully aggressive. His fur wasn't standing on end, and no snarl could be heard.

"What is it, boy?" I asked in a calm voice.

Slowly, I crept to the end of the log, one hand on Dad's knife handle at my side. I neared the lip of the hollow, but could see nothing. Puzzled, I looked again at Axel, who was still on guard, then back at the log. I bent over, looking deeper inside. I was greeted with the largest of eyes, shining bright black back at me. Squinting, I looked hard at the small creature, then let out a loud laugh, which was promptly answered with a _wo-huo_ sound. The creature was a light gray, synonymous with the color of mist, with a great many faint brown streaks running vertically over it's body. The face was as rounder than the moon, and caved in a bit with a bright yellow beak curving down from it. The eyes were blacker than a Night Fury, and filled with a deep light. But what startled me was that the creature was covered in downy fluff and the beginnings of real feathers, not a sleek coat of fine plumage.

"A baby Ural Owl," I marveled. Dad had owned one as a child, saying he rescued it after it's parents were killed by eagles. The owl had always come back when called and would hunt ptarmigan for him. He had named it Glaze. "It's okay Axel!" I told the dog, patting his head. The dog immediately calmed.

Digging into my pack, I pulled out a small piece of elk venison I was planning on eating for lunch, then held it out into the log. I heard the bird tentatively walk forward on wiggly legs, then back up again, evidently fearful. I kept my hand absolutely still, knowing any movement would further frighten the young animal. I waited a few minutes, then twenty more, not moving. Finally, it crept forward, tugging the meat hungrily from my outstretched hand. Deftly, yet cautiously, I maneuvered my hand and picked the creature up. The whole time it was crying like I was killing it. I ran my hand over it soothingly, and it eventually relaxed.

"Now, where did you come from?" I asked no one, looking around in the trees. High above me, I spotted an old raven's nest. Around it, the trees were battered with marks of angry or misplaced talons. "Well, that answers that question." A raven's nest converted into an owl nest.

Holding the young owl with one hand, I used the other to empty my pack of its contents, then placed the young owl in it. Pulling the pack back over my shoulder, I walked to the tree containing the nest. I placed both hands on the rough bark of the hemlock and began to climb easily up the tree. The branches were a bit flexible and thick at the base, and would definitely hold my weight. I climbed for about five minutes, and soon was directly below the nest. By now I could hear the soft calls of other owlets, and I pulled myself up to look at the nest.

Two owlets, both smaller than the one in my pack, sat there in the old nest, which smelled faintly of old meat and scat. I quietly pulled my pack over my shoulders and opened it. I returned the chick to its siblings, and the reunion was that of protesting shrieks. _Typical sibling rivalry_, I thought. The one that had fallen was growing its flight feathers. It had probably tried exploring the nest, perhaps trying to fly, and fallen off the edge.

Suddenly, a heard a loud shriek straight above me, and felt a talon catch the shoulder of my jacket. It cut a slash in the fabric, narrowly missing my skin. I began my descent at a dangerous pace, knowing the owlets' parents were back and had discovered me at their nest. The parents kept diving at me, and I ducked each time I heard the wisp of air, and they missed me by mere inches. I was now about fifteen feet above the ground, and they kept diving at me. I measured the distance in my mind, muttered a quick prayer to Odin, and took a leap of faith. Landing with a hard jolt, I doubled over backwards. Checking myself, I sent up my thanks to the gods. No broken bones, no sprains, nothing except maybe bruises.

I looked back up at the nest, and the parents had now returned, each carrying a woodpigeon. The parents, delighted at their chick's reappearance, were making a calm vibrating sound, almost like purring. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, knowing I'd just saved the owlet's life.

"You can say that again," a boy's voice said from behind me.

"Yeah, that was a close one," came another voice, a girl's.

I whirled around, seeing Astrid and Hiccup walking up to where I had fallen. They looked both cheerful and worried in an odd combination, and they gave each other careful, measured glances.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked. I could tell he wasn't talking about the encounter with the owls, but the dragons.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told them, which was mostly true.

"That was pretty cool, what you did for the owlet," Astrid said, smiling a bit.

"You saw all that?" I asked. They nodded. "I like animals, always have. I even like the ones I hunt. I respect them." I went on, telling them something my father had hinted at my entire life, but I had figured out from spending time in the woods "Any creature that shows they fit into this world, any creature trying to live, has a right to life."

"That seems kind of backwards," said Astrid. "I mean, that's not how Vikings live, not how _anyone_ lives really."

"I know, and that's the one thing I don't like about being a human. Most people only have compassion for other people. No one knows how to use _perspective_. You can kill an animal to eat if you're hungry, or if it's attacking you. But you shouldn't kill any creature otherwise. Everything has a right to life, and just because we can kill doesn't mean we should. My Dad taught me that by the time I was three years old. He was a rather strange Viking, spending much of his time in the forest learning about the language of nature. He learned the howl of the wolves and began to converse with them, he befriended a fox and played with her kits, and he raised a gray seal when he found it orphaned. Before he died, he taught me all of that, and it's the greatest wonder of life."

"How so?" questioned Hiccup.

"It's like feeling the energy running through nature. You see a bear with her cubs, you know she loves them, just like a mother with her children. You hear the howl of a wolf after its lost it's pack, that wolf would feel the same as I did after my village was massacred. Humans aren't the only ones who love. Everything that breathes air feels love. People have a hard time seeing that part of nature."

"So if you love animals so much, why do you hate dragons?" Hiccup continued.

"I don't hate them, despite what happened on the beach. I respect them just like every animal. But I fear them more than any other predator. I've seen many people killed by dragons." I listened for a moment, hearing the distant roars of a Nadder, and what sounded like voices coming from the same location. "I don't like to think about dragons. I've always wanted to hate them, just like everyone else. Unfortunately, that's just not in my nature."

I thought back to how it was so easy to dismiss dragons back home, how I didn't always live in the presence of them.

"Back home though, I wasn't so afraid. Back home, I could get away from them, and they weren't on my side. Now everything's changed. I don't have Mum and Dad to guide the way anymore. You don't know what that's like," I said, my eyes overly bright.

"Then tell us," replied Astrid simply.

Axel posted himself on my lap, licking me gently on my nose. I reached out a tender hand to him, and looked back at Astrid and Hiccup. A long smile crept across my face, and I knew I had friends here. I was healing. And so I began the tale.

"It all began that morning…" I began, and lost myself in the swirling memories.

* * *

I sat on the edge of the roof, feeling the morning sun bore into me. The warmth seeped into my chilled flesh, and the sky had now turned a deep orange, ringed with pink. In the distance, a jay began her morning song, fluttering about in the beams of light. Clouds cut through the sun, drawing shadows over the world in a great portrait. The elk were bellowing in song, and I smiled in anticipation. Below me, Axel set up a furious barking.

"Shhhhhh!" I whispered frantically. "Do you want to wake up the whole village?"

Axel grew quiet, but he wasn't finished. Instead, he trotted toward the doors to our home, and began to scratch determinedly at the light oak wood. A whine began in his throat, and rose up so that I could hear it. I winced as I heard the shudder and creaking of the doors opening. Dad ventured out, wiping sleep from his eyes. Axel followed at a trot, then barked up at me once. The man's deep brown eyes reached me, and I knew I had been given away.

"Klara! What are you doing up there at this time of the morning?" he voiced in irritation. I slid down the side of house to the ground, landing with a light thump on the frost covered grass.

"I was going to go hunting today," I began. "I thought… before I went… I could watch the sunrise," I told him, giving him one of my smiles that always won him over. He relented, looking at the sun peering over the horizon.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, his voice far off in the way he would sometimes speak about nature. "All right, go hunting. But for Thor's sake, don't wake up the village! And no getting into mischief!"

"I never try to, it just always works out that way," I told him sarcastically, and he let out a light laugh.

It was true, I did tend to get into trouble, but no one ever thought less of me for it. When in my presence, the villagers would say I was a trouble-making child. Then, when I left, I just went around the corner and heard them talking about how promising a young woman I was, and how Mum and Dad must be so proud. Like the time I chased off a mother bear and her cubs from a catch of fish, instead of killing her. They would yell at me, then I heard them talk about how I was able to actually chase away a grizzly almost as big as a Gronkle. Then there was the day I brought an elk calf to the village after I found him alone beside a river. Turns out, he had just wandered from the mother. She showed up at the village and broke down a fence, trying to get at her calf. I had to rebuild the fence, which took me several days to do.

"Are you taking Axel," asked Dad. Axel perked his ears a bit at his name.

"No, I've used him too much lately. I can't be losing my own tracking touch," I responded. "Besides, he doesn't deserve to after he told you I was on the roof," I said, an edge of sarcasm in my voice. Axel dropped his head.

"Okay, then. Take a bit of apple and some cod with you for a snack. Good luck," he said, and kissed me on the forehead.

So I set off, hiking on my own through the woods. It felt amazing to be by myself in the forest, a cool breeze flowing over my back. I let nature envelop me, and I followed its ways. I was alert to every sound, but didn't let just any noise startle me. I noticed everything. In a clearing, scratches on the ground indicated the spot where an alpha wolf marked its territory. Wolves fear man, so I didn't worry much about the pack. In the distance, high in the air, two vultures circled, which meant a kill was nearby, probably an elk carcass. I decided to move away from the direction of the vultures, since a predator was likely associated with the kill, and I didn't feel like taking on a hungry bear. The only thing that was more dangerous than a bear on a kill would be a mother bear protecting her cubs, and that doesn't even include the dangers of wild dragons. I didn't like the prospect of facing any of those. Soon, I felt the ground descend slowly in a downward slope. I continued on this course, knowing water flows downhill, and I was hopeful to find a stream or a runoff of the river. Where one finds water, one also finds animals. Possibly elk.

I was soon rewarded for this course of action. I stumbled upon a small stream, which I followed until I came to a small clearing. I hid behind a copse of bushes and peered into the field, making sure to remain downwind and avoid being scented. A small group of elk were there, mostly made up of cows, the females. There were a few older females, and the young cows were flanked by the calves of the previous year. Within the group was a fine bull, a male, with an impressive rack of antlers. He bellowed loudly, boasting as the ruler of his harem of females. His call was answered by that of another bull, who came sauntering into the clearing from the forest.

The challenging bull was young, probably six years old. The defending king looked to be in his prime, an eight year old buck and a large one at that. The challenger though, would not back down, despite his smaller size. The two walked across toward each other. They displayed their antlers, both racks being impressive, and they began to walk slowly, parallel to each other. _They're showing off_, I thought. The two continued their displays, trying to get the other to back down, but neither one did. They each bellowed loudly, piercing the air at the volume of the noise. Neither bull budged, and I knew it would end in a fight, with both sparring each other for control of the harem.

The rivals faced each other, lowered their heads, and charged forward. They met, the crack of the antlers sounding like a clap of thunder. They pushed back and forth, trying to throw their opponent off balance. Suddenly, the two broke apart, faced each other again, and charged once more. The same thunder-like clap, and suddenly one bull was thrown sideways, landing on his side. The defending bull stood tall, and the challenger ran back into the forest, defeated. The ruler of the elk walked back to his females, standing guard for any more rivals.

I had been so caught up in the battle I forgot I was here to hunt. I silently raised my bow, aimed the arrow at an old bull whose antlers had gone back on his head. The arrow whizzed by, imbedding in a tree trunk with a resounding crack, missing the old bull by less than an inch. The elk raised their heads, and bolted into the forest. My one shot of meat for the day was gone, and I let out a steady stream of curses.

"Damn!" I yelled. "Well, there goes a golden shot for winter meat!"

I retrieved the arrow, and slung my bow over my shoulder. Heading out into the forest, I made a beeline for my favorite spot on the island. I reached it very quickly, since I had a quick pace. There was a spot of high cliffs above the raging ocean. Here, I looked out onto the horizon, noting that it was midday. The sun was now high overhead, blazing brilliantly over the murky greenish blue water. I quietly laid back on the grass, closed my eyes, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

I heard a high pitched sound, and woke with a start, realizing it was night now. Stars dotted the indigo sky, but it seemed they had flashed red for a moment. _What woke me up?_ I thought. Then I noticed something in the darkness, and I squinted my eyes over the ocean, trying to see what it was. At least ten ships were docked in the cover of small rocky islands. The ships had white flags, each with a single sword painted vertically on them, and I gasped in horror. These were not our ships.

"No," I whispered, then turned to look out over the forest. The part of the forest where the village was glowed orange, and smoke filled the air. "No!" I screamed, and my feet were flying over ground.

I never thought I could run so fast, and it seemed as though the forest itself was parting, making a path for me to get through. No bracken got in the way, the vines seemed to draw back in, and the trees leaned away. I ran, barely feeling the ground below me, it felt like I was flying. Indeed, as I jumped over logs, it was like I had launched myself into the air on wings. The acrid scent of smoke and blood reached my nose, and the steady orange glow brightened the closer I got. Then the forest spat me out, and I stopped dead, nearly crashing over myself. I was in front of my parent's house, which was set ablaze, like nearly every home in town. Suddenly I couldn't breath, and I wobbled a bit. My mind grew hazy, and I stumbled slightly. Then I heard a noise. I looked a few paces away, and I saw that my parents were on the ground, both bleeding heavily. I ran to my father's side.

Dad looked up at me, confusion in his eyes at seeing me, then elation. A weak smile grew on his pale face.

"Klara?" he gasped. "Klara, I'm glad to see you. How was your hunt?" he asked, as if not knowing what was going on, that he was badly wounded.

"Shhh, Dad. I'm here," I told him, staring at the ghastly hole in his chest.

"I love you, Klara. I love you," he said, then his hand went slack. He was dead.

* * *

Astrid and Hiccup were silent now. But I couldn't stop now. "I watched the life slip away from both my parents. I looked into the faces of each dead neighbor, all my friends. I looked my best friend, Ida, in the eyes, but she couldn't look back at me. The last time I had seen her, I did something selfish. And now I can never set that right. Now she's gone. They're all gone. When I went to my Uncle Arn's house, I found Erik hidden under his mother. I found Axel, and we all left for Berk the next day. Before we left, I put a necklace I carved on my friend, and I took a flute she carved."

I now pulled the flute from my pack, and played a single, long note that sounded like the first howl of a wolf pup. High-pitched and lacking something essential, yet precious all the same. I ran my thumb over its smooth surface, taking comfort in the swirling pattern etched into it. Silence followed, and I closed my eyes to it. The wind seemed to usher the song of the flute away, taking it up into the mountains for the gods to listen to.

"Neither of us can say we know how you feel," began Hiccup. "We're not going to say everything's okay. We know you don't want to hear any of that. But I will say this, it gets better."

I looked up at them, smiling. Then Astrid began. "Yeah, and you'll get used to it here. Berk is your new home."

"Yeah," I agreed. With the telling of the story, some of my fear had gone away, and I felt a new resolve set in. "I think I'm ready to meet a dragon."

* * *

**(A/N) So that's what Klara was up to while her village was being attacked. Believe it or not, this is what the United States government did to the Native American tribes during the 1700s and 1800s. Our own government committed genocide on the Native Americans, but you never learn about that in History, do you? You just learn about the Battle of Little Bighorn, which is where a band of Natives took revenge on the troops that massacred their defenseless women and children. Except, you only learn that it was just another battle between the Natives and the US army.**


	7. A Dragon's Leave

**(A/N) New chapter! This is a big turning point in the story, so pay close attention.**

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_**Chapter 7 A Dragon's Leave**_

I stood on the cold beach, near the base of the towering black cliff. Terror made its grip on me, threatening to take hold, but I fought it back. If I let fear take control, clear thoughts would evade me and I wouldn't make it through this. The warm sun now seemed to cut through the chill, warming my body, but it couldn't replace the dread inside of me as the black dragon approached from down the beach.

"Come on, Toothless," Hiccup said lightly, walking alongside the Night Fury. The dragon bounced along, a glint in its eyes.

"Don't worry, Klara," Astrid reassured, seeing how wide my eyes were.

"Yeah, I know," I whispered back, though I really wasn't very sure.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _Stop being such a coward!_ I thought to myself. _It's not like Astrid or Hiccup are afraid, so why should you be?_ Now that I think of it, it was deeply embarrassing that the others weren't afraid and I was. Back home, when there were attacks by dragons, I had never been afraid. In fact, I had nearly killed a Gronkle myself when it had attacked our neighbor's eight-year-old boy. The axe I had thrown had only swung slightly too far to the left, but it had scared the Gronkle away from the boy, at least. I had never cringed like this in the presence of a dragon at home. But here, the dragons were so much closer, and I felt like every minute I had to stay on guard. And if I didn't get used to the dragons, I would drive myself crazy.

I opened my eyes, and the Night Fury was only a few feet away. It looked me straight in the eyes, and I saw a kind of innocence in its eyes, mesmerizing me. I scarcely felt Hiccup grab on to my hand, pulling me closer to the dragon. My hand hovered over the dragon's head, and the creature turned its gaze from my eyes to my hand, all but breaking the spell. The Night Fury closed the distance between my hand and its head, and I felt my skin connect with its rough, warm scales. The dragon close its eyes, purring softly, and a smile crept onto my lips.

And in that moment, Toothless and every other dragon went from an _it_ to a _he_.

"Wow," the word came from my mouth, and it was the only one I could think of at the moment.

"So, now you get why it's good to keep an open mind?" Hiccup said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, this is cool," I whispered in awe.

Toothless took his head from my hand, and sat up on his haunches. His jowls parted, and his mouth turned up into a toothless smile. "So _that's_ why you call him Toothless."

"Now, let's go for a ride!" exclaimed Astrid.

"Wait! What?!" I yelled, but before I could say anything else, Hiccup pulled me onto Toothless's back, and I found my arms gripping hard around his waste to keep from falling off as Toothless lunged into the air.

My eyes sealed shut, and I buried my face into Hiccup's back. I was surprised to feel muscle clenching and releasing with the thrusts of Toothless's movement. I guess being a dragon rider takes at least a bit of muscle.

The air currents ripped around us, drafts of warm and cold air colliding, swirling and combining into one movement. Toothless jerked around in the air, pulling Hiccup and me this way and that, but I didn't open my eyes to see what was going on. Then the air stilled considerably, and everything went quiet. The movements of Toothless were smooth and fluid, and I felt Hiccup's grip loosen. I could sense he was waiting.

Tentatively, I pulled my head up and cracked my eyes open a bit, and a burst of light hit me. All around me there were clouds interlocked with each other and the bright blue sky. A falcon hovered just below, then dived to the earth on a wood pigeon. The wind blended into the light, scattering over Toothless's shining black scales, and the air flowed under the great bat like wings. Sunlight shimmered through the clouds, creating an angelic glow over the sky.

"I told you to keep an open mind, and how much more wide open can this get?" asked Hiccup gesturing to the sky as a whole.

"Wide open. Just keep your mind wide open," I whispered in awe.

* * *

We headed back to the village, my face still flushed from the excitement of the ride. I walked alongside Toothless, stroking him lightly, and a soft purring escaped from the Night Fury's lips. Now, when we approached the village under the light of the crescent moon, I didn't look on with fear at all the dragons running through the streets and flying across the skies. I looked at this with a new wonder and satisfaction in my gut.

I poked through my pocket for the flute, then began to play cheerful tune, one that was sung at festivals and parties. After all, this was my celebration, a celebration of my mind opening up to see the entire horizon. "So, do you want to meet Stormfly now?" asked Astrid.

"Your dragon?" I asked. She nodded. "Sure, sounds like a good idea."

"Don't we have to bandage your arm first?" asked Hiccup. He was looking with concern at the ragged bandage on my arm where the burn had been.

"No, I rubbed some herbs into it while we were walking back. When we get back inside, I'll bandage it properly. It'll heal soon, probably a week or two."

So we made our way to the Hofferson home, and beside it I saw a makeshift hut with a blue Deadly Nadder laying down inside it. Astrid hopped inside and rubbed Stormfly vigorously under the chin, and the animal chirred softly. The dragon climbed lazily to her feet, looking with a curious glance at my figure next to Hiccup.

"Come on girl," exclaimed Astrid, leading Stormfly to the edge of the open hut.  
I climbed inside and stood beside Astrid. Astrid pulled my hand up to the curved horn on the Nadder's head, and I felt the animal purring under my grasp, her pupils relaxing.

"Hello Stormfly," I said. The dragon looked at me with piercing yellow eyes, opened her mouth, and let out a sound. To my incredible amazement, the sound seemed to form words in my mind.

_"Hello,"_ the words said, and I whipped my head back.

"Are you okay?" asked Hiccup. "You look like you've seen Thor."

"Y-yeah, I just lost my balance for a second," I responded quickly, continuing to pet Stormfly.

_Wow,_ I thought._ My imagination is running wild today._ Of course, I dismissed this occurrence.

* * *

We walked inside the house, and Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson were standing just beyond the door, the arm of the man around his wife. They wore joyful and suspicious smiles on their faces, and the two were pointing their gazes directly at me. I didn't know what to think.

"Mum? Dad? What's going on?" asked Astrid, giving her parents a wary look. Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson looked at each other

"Well," began Mr. Hofferson. "We were thinking, now that Klara is staying with us…"

"… and has been through so much…" continued Mrs. Hofferson.

"… that she could use something to welcome her to the island."

And with that, the two pulled out a shining helmet with upward curving horns on it. My mouth dropped open in awe, my eyes looking over the metal, scanning its fine craftwork. I wavered, glancing from the Hoffersons, then to the helmet, then back to the Hoffersons.

"Oh, go on lass!" exclaimed the woman with a smile. "Try it on!"

I tentatively reached for the helmet, picking it up carefully by the horns. I could see my reflection in the shimmering metal. A girl with a long brown braid, a dirt covered face, and hazel eyes looked back at me. She - I - looked completely unremarkable.

I placed it on my head, and the metal slid over my hair snugly, but without constricting any movement. "It fits perfectly!" I exclaimed.

"Gobber made it. He's the village blacksmith, along with Hiccup here, his apprentice," Mr. Hofferson said, gesturing to Hiccup. The boy stood up proudly. "Gobber's also uncanny with his ability to predict the size just by looking at someone."

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson," I said, the smile on my face evident.

"Oh, enough of that lass, just call us by our names," said Mrs. Hofferson, and I realized I didn't actually know their names. Mrs. Hofferson fixed that problem immediately. "Kelda," she said, gesturing to herself, "and Randolf."

"Thank you, Kelda and Randolf," I said politely, and the two smiled to each other.

"The horns came from a young yak," said Randolf matter-of-factly, but I sensed he wanted to say something else. Kelda picked up on it.

"Lass, we gave this to you to show you you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you want. Eric, too," she said softly.

I don't know what came over me, I had never been exactly affectionate. Perhaps I was grateful for the gift of both the helmet and sanctuary. Perhaps I was overemotional from all that had happened of late. Whatever the reason, at that moment I looked at them with a new wonder, ran forward, and threw my arms around them. They started, then returned the embrace.

* * *

A week passed and the burn on my arm healed quickly, leaving only the faint scarring that had already been there from the previous burn. Astrid and I spent much time together. I had begun teaching her to hunt with a bow and arrow, and she started teaching me to ride Stormfly. I combined my knowledge of fishing and basic traps with this newfound skill at riding a dragon to bring in bucket loads of fish. I had Stormfly fly into the cold water, herding fish into the nets Hiccup and Fishlegs held at the surface of the water with their dragons. It felt good to be of use again, bringing in food like I used to.

I never again understood any sounds Stormfly or any other dragon made. This only reinforced the fact that I had just imagined the occurrence, and I found myself not thinking about it anymore.

I had met most of the dragons in the village by now, and befriended each one. Kelda and Randolf had been encouraging me to get a dragon of my own. The first time they mentioned this, I had told them I didn't want to bother them with the care of more animals, but they dismissed such thoughts.

"Are you kidding?" Randolf had said. "You are a hunter, and with your own dragon you could be bringing in more fish and game than you have with borrowing Stormfly every so often."

"Yes, lass. If Axel can pay for his own care in meat, imagine what you could do with a dragon," Kelda said.

Now, whenever I walked through the village, I inspected each "town dragon" - the dragons that lived in the village but had no specific owner - to see if one seemed to both fit my needs, and be the right one for me. Which one could be my friend just as Axel is, and is smart enough to follow commands. I immediately dismissed the Gronkles, they were just too slow and lazy. A Terrible Terror would be good for fishing, but would be too small to bring down large game. Monstrous Nightmares have the skills of a great hunter, but are too difficult to work with. A Zippleback would just creep me out too much, what with the two heads. Besides, they would fight every time I go for a ride over whose head I would be on. A Night Fury would be great, but Toothless is the only one to be found on the island. That left the Nadders, but they just didn't have that special quality I was looking for. I couldn't exactly tell what it was, but I couldn't find it in any dragon.

I debated over this when Astrid came up to me in the morning beside the Hofferson home, my home. "Let's go," she said, gesturing hurriedly for me to follow her as she trotted away.

"Where are we going?" I asked with interest, running to keep up with her

"Everyone's going on a hike through the woods, to the other side of the island," she said. "C'mon!" I gave her a questioning look. "He found a herd of wild yak surrounding a dead one while he was on Toothless. He wanted to find out what they were doing."

I followed without further question, being curious now myself, but I decided to leave Axel at home, considering we would probably be doing a lot of riding. When I looked at the gray sky, though, I wasn't sure. I could tell it would rain soon. The rain would likely pour down on us, but we went anyway, and I ignored my better judgment.

* * *

**(A/N) Next chapter will be up in one week. Finals are coming up, though, so don't be surprised if I'm late in posting in the coming weeks.**


	8. Just As We Are

**(A/N) Surprise! I'm back!**

* * *

_**Chapter 8 Just as We Are**_

"Wow, look at them," whispered Astrid as we crept forward on hand and knees over the crest of the small hill away from the trees. The small herd of yaks were hovering in the dead straw grass no more than a quarter mile away.

"I think we can get closer. We would be able to get away on the dragons if they charged," I said, inspecting the group. They moved with energy in large circles around the dead animal. They were making loud calls.

"They seem agitated," said Hiccup. "Why are they surrounding the dead one?" Hiccup asked me.

"Why are you asking me?" I said.

"Who else?" asked Ruffnut.

"Yeah, you've kind of revealed yourself as the animal expert," said Hiccup.

"Well, I don't know. All I can tell from here is that they're angry. I've never seen behavior quite like this," I said. "And I want to find out what it's all about."

Suddenly, I got up, started waving my hands around, and gently but loudly call out in the direction of the yaks. "What are you doing?" exclaimed Tuff. "You want them to charge us?"

"By doing this, they'll know we're here. My guess is that they would be more likely to charge if we caught them by surprise. Besides, they won't charge at this distance," I said matter-of-factly. "Something my dad told me. It works on a lot of different animals. I'm betting yaks are one of those animals."

The yaks looked up, faced the direction we were in as if they were about to come running. Instead, they just turned away and trotted back to their dead companion. We began to slowly move foreword cautiously, but the yaks made no more sudden movements, so we continued with more speed. We reached the outskirts of the herd, and now the terrible bawls could be herd by each and every animal. The cries were so full of pain and loneliness that I shuddered. I looked at one yak, a middle aged female with a calf trailing behind her, and her gaze was filled with pure grief. She looked almost quizzically at me, then, to my utter astonishment, moved to the side. Following her lead, the others parted, and I found myself walking through the path they had created, towards a brown form on the ground in the middle of the circle. Astrid, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and the others stayed where they were.

A foul smell met my nose, but I ignored it. The grass around the body of the yak was stained with dried blood. I walked up close to the animal, kneeling down beside it. It was a very old female with a silver muzzle. The belly was torn open. I looked up to the yaks, who were suddenly moving closer. The first to approach was the first female I had seen, along with her calf. She bowed her head, nuzzling the great creature's body, looking on with unmistakable love at her. I was guessing this middle-aged female must have been the old one's calf. She walked away, allowing others to continue the ceremony. The bawling continued, and a silent awe and respect formed in my gut.

"It's the last rights to the great leader of the herd," I said aloud. With that, I walked back to the others, back to the edge of the herd.

"She was killed by a wolf pack. The herd must have run them off, but were too late to save the female. They're giving her their last goodbyes," I told them thoughtfully.

"You talk about them like they're humans," said Snotlout.

"Do you think people are the only creatures to feel love?" I retorted. "Your dragons love you guys, and the yaks we see here love their matriarch. That yak, she's probably been leading this herd for many years. They're honoring her now," I said.

"So you knew that yaks treat their dead with such respect?" asked Hiccup.

"No," I answered. "I never knew, but I do now. That's how Dad knew so much about animals. He listened to nature, and waited for it to give him answers."

"That's wise," said Astrid, looking at me with a smile. I could tell that there was still doubt in that smile, though.

"I don't know about that," I replied. "I remember my nana once telling me that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, and wisdom is putting them back together again. She was a great elder."

"What about the yaks?" asked Hiccup. "What will they do without a leader?"

"They'll pick a new one. I'm guessing it'll be that strong female over there," I said, pointing to the original female, the calf still trotting after her.

I couldn't help but smile ear to ear as that same female led the herd away from the body of the old leader, the yaks following faithfully behind their new leader. But my joy was replaced by dread as the first drops of the storm bolted down on our heads, soaking through our clothes and chilling our skin.

The storm began in earnest as we traveled through the forest. Ruff and Tuff were, as always, in full scale battle with each other. Fishlegs was taking notes on the foliage, while Snotlout kept grumbling about how he was getting wet. I was walking beside Hiccup and Astrid at the back of the group, and the dragons followed closely behind.

"Remind me why we're not flying?" whined Snotlout.

"Do you really want to get hit by lightning?" I asked him, rolling my eyes. "You go out there flying in the open like that, you'll get fried."

Snotlout went on grumbling, and I smiled at Astrid. We simultaneously rolled our eyes. Astrid and I were quickly becoming like sisters. Even though I would continue to call myself Klara Maverick, I was proud to be part of the Hofferson family. On my head I wore, with great dignity, the helmet Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson gave me. It was a perfect fit. So, even though it was pouring rain and we were wading through mud, I felt happier than I had been for weeks.

We approached the small cliffs that ran beside the woods. Below us we could hear waves crashing against the cliffs as the storm churned the sea. A great fog was rising from the water, blotting out land and ocean for as far as the eye can see.

"We've got to pick up the pace guys. I don't want to be stuck out here until the fog clears, but that's just me," said Hiccup.

We walked a bit faster, staying beside the cliffs to get a sense of direction. But we were at least another two hours of walking from the village, and thunder began to crack in the distance. The wall of fog rose and blotted out everything, and we were forced to stop. The light of day had been leached away by the gray clouds, and the dragons could not light the way due to the water on their heads. Toothless rubbed up against Hiccup like an oversized cat, purring all the while. Fishlegs leaned against Meatlug, and Snotlout lay atop Hookfang's back. Ruff and Tuff were fighting beside their dragon, Barf and Belch. Stormfly held her wings over Astrid and me, blocking most of the rain. I stroked her side, and a low purr rumbled in her chest.

"We're going to be stuck out here all night, aren't we?" I asked the group.

"Pretty much," replied Fishlegs.

The silvery light of the moon could be seen through the thick fog, but it didn't aid us at all. Even with that light, no one could see more than ten feet in any direction. By now, an eerie silence had fallen upon the group, broken only by the steady thrumming of rain and the crashing of ocean waves on the cliff sides. Then, suddenly a new noise was added, one that sent a chill of fear through everyone. The screams of wild boars, and a lot of them at that, were growing closer.

"To the trees!" I yelled, and everyone was up in a flash, heading for the trees. "Quick, climb high!"

I picked a high pine tree and began climbing furiously. Barely feeling the rough bark, I was up the tree in a flash. In fact, I was the first one to reach a desirable height, but I had been climbing trees my entire life. I looked to the others. Hiccup and Astrid were in a hemlock adjacent to me, and the twins had pulled themselves into a tall tree. Snotlout was climbing swiftly up a pine, but when I looked to Fishlegs, I saw that he was making slow progress. _That's what happens when you overeat!_ I thought furiously as Meatlug came to his aid, pushing him up the tree.

"You okay, Legs?" called Hiccup once the boy had pulled himself onto a thick branch, panting.

"Yeah!" he gasped. "But what … about… the dragons?" he yelled, panting.

"They don't have any fire!" yelled Snotlout. "Can they fly away?"

Just then, claps of lightning rang out in the sky, answering that question. If the dragons flew, they'd definitely be hit by lightning. Then, much to everyone's horror, the group of boars rushed in, brandishing their gleaming tusks.

Few people realize how dangerous a wild boar is, even when alone. The tusks are razor sharp, and they're not afraid to sink them into anything they find, even a group of dragons. Not only that, but a bite from a boar will almost definitely become infected. Infections could kill within a matter of hours. Unless you're a good climber, you're not likely to survive an encounter with a group of wild boar.

The sounder of boar came crashing through the trees, a massive force of around thirty animals, and they charged straight for the dragons. Meatlug began to hover just above the reach of the hogs, but the other dragons wouldn't be able to hover like that without getting higher. Five charged Hookfang, who sunk his teeth into two at once, killing them instantly. The three remaining lunged at Hookfang's side, gouging it with their tusks before the dragon flung them into the ocean with one motion of his tail.

Meatlug dived sluggishly down at the hogs, knocking the animals into the forest, but they just came back. All at once, the entire group charged the dragons, while the dragons were still struggling to light their fire. Two began to thrash Stormfly on the stomach, while four more leaped on Toothless.

"Toothless!" cried Hiccup.

"Stormfly! Get out of there!" screamed Astrid, but all the dragons were trapped. I fit arrow after arrow on my bow, but most of the animals I shot just got angrier. Sure, a few were killed, but not enough. "Stormfly!" screamed Astrid. The Nadder had been thrown off balance, and blood was splattered everywhere.

Suddenly, Astrid leaped from her perch on the branch next to Hiccup, landing with a thud and charging at the boar with her axe, lashing at them furiously. I felt my sword hilt resting at my side, then followed suit. Landing with a small stumble, I raced to the aid of the dragons. A dozen boar lay dead already, but the rest continued their attack without fear.

"You're crazy! You know that?" I yelled to Astrid, who shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "And I guess that means I'm just as crazy for following you," I said to myself.

Unsheathing the shining sword, I began to slash at the wild boars. The rain pounded and washed away the blood from the grass. Below us, the sea raged. I looked up to the others, and realized they were jumping from their trees as well, wielding spears and hammers. I tossed Fishlegs my bow and arrows, and he aimed awkwardly at the creatures. Hiccup stood by Toothless, stabbing the boar with his dagger, and Snotlout crushed the skull of an attacking pig with his mace.

"We've got to get out of here!" I screamed, but was cut off.

The boar crashed straight into me, stabbing my right arm with her tusk, and I just managed to send my sword into her stomach before we both fell back. The sword embedded itself in the boar's chest, slipping from my grasp, and I felt my helmet tumble away. We slid through the mud, gaining speed. I let out I sharp cry.

"Klara!" screamed Astrid, but it was too late. There would be no way for her to save me, and now she was busy fighting off two big hogs.

Still entangled with the animal, I slid right off the cliffside, falling into the sea below. When I hit the water, it didn't feel like water at all, but rock, and it sent a jolt through me. The boar swept away from me, and I felt myself being thrashed in every direction. The water was as cold as ice, and my body became chilled to the bone. I scarcely felt the wound on my arm as the crashing waters threw me every which way.

Suddenly, my head broke through to the surface. I heard the crashing of the water against the rocks, and I struggled to swim away from the cliff and its jagged rocks. I couldn't see anything for the fog. Above me, I heard the dull screams of the boar, and then the soft yells of my friends. "Klara!" they said.

But with one crash of a wave, my body was sent sprawling against a great rock. I felt my left arm snap, a crunch at another point in my body, and I screamed in agony before the current pulled me back under.

The water seemed to be growing colder, and my body began to ache as I treaded water with one arm, breaking through to the surface again. I gulped air again before going back down once again, but I realized that the storm had made the current impossible to tread, and there was no way I could swim to a beach. My muscles were screaming, and there was a stabbing pain in my lungs for the lack of oxygen.

My arm was in agony, my leg suddenly was on fire with pain, and I was so cold and tired now that I couldn't pulled myself back to the surface. My body sank down into the dark waters, and my vision began to cloud. My limbs stopped treading water, and for a moment everything went black.

But only for a moment.

Suddenly, a large force swept under me, and I felt myself being pulled to the surface. I gasped for breath, and made to look down at the animal that was pulling me to the beach. But then, the darkness swept over me in earnest, and I went limp against the great creature.

* * *

**(A/N) You just have to love cliffhangers, don't you? I know I said it would be a week before I updated again, but I decided it would be nice to do two chapters this weekend.**


	9. Anonymous Gestures

**(A/N) Chapter 9 is up! Sorry if I make a few mistakes in here, but I don't really know much about medicines or anything like that.**

* * *

_**Chapter 9 Anonymous Gestures**_

My eyes flickered open, but only for a moment, and I was met with near-darkness. I could only see for a few feet directly above me, but there was no fog to block my view. I dimly registered a stubborn warmth surrounding my frigid cold body, but I couldn't shiver. It hurt too much. Above me, all around me in fact, I saw a deeply rich purple, and then I passed out again, the color turning steadily to a coal black. But one thought persisted as I fell under. _Something's with me._ I thought I heard the voice of a child speaking, _"Lay still."_

* * *

_I looked at the scene from the woods, tears and ashes intermixing on my face, and cringed at the sight. I was watching myself, but was out of my body. I looked at the figure that was myself holding my dying mother. I only heard one sentence._

_"Klara, there is light," said the gasping voice._

_Then Mum went limp in her arms, my arms._

_Suddenly, I was in the meadow of my last dream again, the one where I met the god. And again, I looked towards the east, and a shimmering light clouded my vision._

* * *

I woke with a start, jolting my body, and a searing pain erupted in my arm. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't hear if I cried out, because I only heard my heart pounding in my ears. I waited for it to subside, but the pain didn't die.

Above me, I dimly recognized leaves and foliage, and I realized I was hidden beneath a bush. Faintly, I felt the gritty texture beneath me and recognized it as sand. I smelled the salty ocean spray all over me, mixed in with blood. A small seashell cut into my leg, and I could hear the crashing of waves hitting the cliffs.

"I'm on the beach," I said with relief.

The relief was short-lived, because a moment later I looked down at my arm. Any color that was left on my face immediately vacated at the grotesque sight. Crooked, bent at an angle, and covered in blood, but that wasn't what sent terror through me. The bone had pierced through flesh and skin, and was now jutting out. It was pearly white against the red of my arm, sticking out like a dagger.

"That's not good," I whispered. I made to get up gently, but a new agony was sent through my leg, along with a dull crunch of bones. "Oh, come on!" I screamed in frustration. "Really? You've got to be kidding me!"

How about that? Both a severely broken arm _and_ a broken leg. With a combination like that, there was almost no chance of me getting back to the village by myself. "What am I going to do?" I prayed to the gods. "Help me."

With my good arm, I felt the sodden leather binding at my side, and comfort seemed to swell through me, for I felt the knife sheath of my father there. Up in the sky, I saw that the rain had stopped, and the fog had lifted. The sky was still covered in gray clouds, but a light shown behind it that signaled the coming of dawn.

But the land was still in a daze, and in the distance, at least a quarter mile away, under the trees, a light moved across. A flickering orange, the light of a torch. "Hey!" I screamed. The torch moved along. "Help!" I yelled louder, as loud as I could, but the light began to disappear.

Suddenly, I thrust my hand into my pocket. A wet piece of wood greeted my fingers, and I grabbed it up. It was the flute. How it survived the thrashing ocean, I'll never know. I took in a deep breath, and blew as hard as I could into the flute. A high piercing sound cut through the air like a knife, blowing across the land.

A lightness came to my head at the end of it, but I fought away the darkness that edged across my vision. In moments, I heard crashing footsteps, and relief flooded through my body.

"She's here! Guy's she's here!" exclaimed a boy's voice, a voice I knew belonged to Snotlout. "Klara! Klara are you okay?" he asked, then gasped when he reached me on the beach. He was holding the torch, shoving it forward so the light went over me..

"No," I said hoarsely.

Then everyone raced to the beach, dragons included. "Klara! Oh, thank Odin!" said Astrid. "We've been searching for an entire day and a half, and some of the village is out looking, too."

"Klara, you're hurt," whispered Hiccup.

"Really? You don't say," I said sarcastically, wincing as he probed my arm and leg.

"You've bled a lot, Klara," said Hiccup seriously. "We have to get you back home."

They began to lift me onto Toothless, and I felt the crunching of my bones against soft flesh. Every small movement scraped the bones together inside me, sending a shock of ripping agony through me. I yelled, but they kept lifting until I was secure on Toothless.

"Let's just get out of here," I said, feeling lightheaded again, and the darkness crept up on me again. This time, though, I let it take over. This time, I slipped mercifully into sleep.

* * *

Life isn't always that kind. I guess that's the only explanation why I didn't stay under. I don't know how long I had been out, but since we weren't yet at the village by dragon back, it had probably only been a few minutes. I let out a moan.

"We're almost there, Klara," Hiccup said, concern in his voice, and Toothless sped up a bit.

I raised my head a little, and saw that I was strapped to Toothless just behind Hiccup, laying down vertically on the dragon. At least fifteen straps held me on while Toothless flew with painful jerks.

"Hurry," I muttered, barely audible above the wind. "Just please hurry."

Hiccup looked back at me with great concern as my face twisted in pain at every movement of my arm or leg. The speed of the dragons increased, but I only dimly registered it. I didn't think the gods would let me slip back into unconsciousness, but my head felt foggy enough. I felt a numb chill over my skin and I realized I was shivering. As far as I was concerned, we couldn't get back to the village fast enough.

The next few minutes felt like hours. No matter how smooth Hiccup tried to make the ride on Toothless, he couldn't stop the wind gusts from making it a bumpy flight. However, we eventually made it to the village. Hiccup landed Toothless as gently as he could, and all around our dragons villagers were rushing in.

The fountain of questions poured out at us, but then a great roar silenced the crowd. It was Stoick. "Quiet! Get Klara into the Hofferson home, and get the healers right now!" he yelled. The villagers rushed about, carrying me gently from Toothless's back, causing a pained moan to come from my lips.

The warmth of the home didn't aid my chilled skin, but even when I was shivering violently with cold, the healers said I was burning furiously with fever. They laid me on my new bed, and the healers swarmed over me.

"Severe break of the arm," said one, a young woman with a soft voice. "Going to have to set the bone quickly. Do you think she can take it?"

"She looks strong," replied the hoarse voice of an old woman. "That's not what's worrying me though. Look," there was a hush as the two bent over me. I looked on with a dizzy gaze, barely following what was happening.

"Infected. That's a hog cut," said a third voice, that of another woman, around middle age. "We're going to have to make a poultice, or else it'll spread to her entire body."

The women suddenly grasped my broken arm gently, and three men moved towards me. They pressed down on my shoulders, as if to hold me down. Then I realized what they were about to do, and I grimaced.

"Are you ready, lass?" asked the old woman. I nodded my reply, and braced myself. "Let's get this done then."

Two women tugged and twisted my arm. A piercing scream exploded from my throat like the thunder of Thor with the resulting agony as I felt bone against bone and the scraping of flesh. It was a sickeningly nauseating feeling. However, it was over a moment later, and the young lady spoke, "There, the bone is set. Now for the leg," she said.

My screams echoed around the home as they set the bone of my leg, and I gasped when they stopped. The darkness threatened me again, but I fought to stay awake. Call it a matter of pride, but I didn't feel like fainting again from a little pain.

The middle-aged healer placed my arm tenderly inside a long wooden splint that ran along my arm, holding it at a bent angle at the elbow. She began to do the same for my leg while the young woman stitched my arm in the spot where the bone had only moments before been jutting out, using a paste that numbed the flesh in that area. She then wrapped both splints thickly with bandages. My arm with the hog cut stayed open to the air for now, and my eyes caught the old healer mixing together plants in a bowl, mashing them with a pestle.

"You okay, lass?" asked the old woman, looking up suddenly. I faintly nodded. "I'm making the medicine for the wound that boar made, and then more medicines for your fever. I must say, you complain less than most people that have injuries not as bad as yours." Her voice was calming, and I managed a smile.

She handed the poultice to one of the other healers, who coated the wound carefully with the paste. The stinging of the wound began to ebb away, numbing the area while the woman stitched the wound with long horse hairs. The old healer held a new mixture in her hands, and she looked down at me with a caring gaze.

"This medicine should make you feel a bit better. It will also put you to sleep, but you need your rest anyway," she said, spooning the bitter medicine into my mouth. I swallowed it completely, along with a long drink of water.

My eyes began to droop, and soon I slipped into real sleep. Deep sleep.

* * *

**(A/N) Sorry that this chapter was short, but I'll put the next one up soon. The story may seem like a bit of a jumble right now, but it's going places. Trust me on that one. In fact, it's going places you would never expect...**


	10. You Are

**(A/N) I'm back! I'm here with another installment of our favorite story, Basilisk: the Calling. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 10 You Are**_

_There was nothing, just the bright light filling my entire field of vision, and a strong, deep voice:_

_"When it seems the world is in the good_  
_And there are friendships everywhere,_  
_A new evil shall stand where happiness stood_  
_And the One shall take to the air._

_Black and white, and somewhere in between,_  
_But none can tell them apart._  
_She shall be chased, farther than can be seen_  
_And find an ancient brood has risen, the one hated from the start._

_She will flee and fight_  
_But then the next one shall come_  
_Then she's given the ancient sight_  
_And finds herself not knowing where she came from._

_Danger at every turn,_  
_But she'll pass it with an open mind._  
_Others will see her and learn._  
_Some shall not be so kind._

_Understanding words unknown_  
_And looking at her darkest foe_  
_The One will know what wasn't shown_  
_And find them, to face her woe._

_It is a life of sorrow,_  
_Running and running, farther than can be,_  
_Facing great challenge and death each morrow,_  
_But will return to face her enemy._

_Great power is due given_  
_From the Power of all the beyond_  
_To save those whose lives away were driven,_  
_The Era anew to be spawned_

_She will sacrifice it all_  
_She, a light in the daze._  
_For when it is given, the evil will fall,_  
_And they'll all drop to her and praise._

_She, born to be the one that lights,_  
_Shall come to her end and accept without mar._  
_And when the moon next rises bright_  
_There she will be, among the stars."_

* * *

When I woke up, I was dressed in a sleeping gown, and the battered and torn clothes I had been wearing before were laying beside the bed. I felt a dull ache in my head, and my stomach was churning. I was burning with fever as well. Thick furs covered me, and there was a slight wriggling of the bed near my feet. A soft whine reached my ears, and I smiled brightly.

"Axel," I whispered, and the dog appeared at the side of the bed. He reached up onto the bed with his front legs, sticking his muzzle close to my face and licking it. "That's a good boy," I said. He hopped onto the bed, settling into sleep beside my good leg.

"How are you feeling?" I heard Astrid's voice, and I saw her climbing the steps into our room. Hiccup followed close behind.

"I'm fine. What's been going on in the village in my absence?"

"The first snow hit yesterday, right after we brought you back. But that's not really anything new. The village has been going on as usual, so it's basically been boring," Astrid said with a laugh.

"Yep, and we didn't really have anything to do, since the dragons didn't want to go riding," added Hiccup.

"What have the healers said?" I asked. They had said my arm was infected from the hog cut, and I wanted to know if they said anything specific.

"The oldest one said you're lucky. Most boar cuts like that are in a higher stage of infection after that long of a period of time, and they said you were fortunate not to lose that arm. There's still an infection, but not a bad one by the looks of it. By some miracle, your broken arm didn't get infected, and neither did your leg. You're a freaky one, you are," said Astrid. I smiled, knowing she was teasing me. "Anyway, I got this from the cliff."

Astrid held up a shining metal craft that I recognized as my helmet. "You found it! Thanks, I was worried I lost it over the cliff or something," I said, my face aglow.

"The sword you were fighting with disappeared in the ocean," said Hiccup. "We found the helmet at the edge of the cliff, right after you fell, but the sword was gone."

A new thought hit me then. "Hey, did you see any tracks or anything like that where you found me?"

"No," Hiccup said, giving me a questioning look. "Why?"

"Didn't you think it was at all odd that a girl with a badly broken and bleeding arm, a busted leg, and a hog cut could swim to shore in ice cold waters in the middle of a storm? I couldn't even see where the beach was."

"The thought crossed our minds," said Astrid. "So what happened?"

"Something saved me, carried me out of the water, then kept me warm at the beach."

"Should I go out with Toothless and Axel? Axel could pick up the scent of any animal," said Hiccup.

"The scent could have been washed away by the ocean if there was a very high tide. Either that or the trail is buried right now in two feet of snow. Besides, I don't think a dog can ride on a dragon," I said, rolling my eyes, but it made me dizzy for a moment so I stopped.

"All good points," said Astrid, rolling her eyes at Hiccup for me. "Besides, what would we do when we found whatever saved you, Klara?" she asked me.

"I owe whatever it was my life. I was going down in those waters. After I fell, the waves crashed me into the cliff. I couldn't swim anymore, and I was drowning. Then something was under me, carrying me to the surface," I told them, shuddering when I thought about how close I was to death.

"I saw you rolling towards the edge of the cliff, but I couldn't get to you," she said, and I remembered the two hogs that had charged her at that very moment.

"It wasn't your fault," I said.

"After that, Hookfang chased off the group of boars, and we flew down to the water, trying to find you, but we couldn't see because of the fog," she said.

"So I flew on Toothless back to the village to get a search party for all the surrounding beaches and cliffs. We looked all day," Hiccup continued.

"Then night came again, and we kept looking, but we couldn't find you. Everyone was beginning to think you had drowned, and some people- well, mostly just Mildew- said to call off the search," said Astrid.

"Then Astrid heard a whistling, and we recognized it as your flute. We went to the beach, following the sound, and there you were," Hiccup finished.

"Yep, that's pretty much how it happened. Anyway, maybe you can take Axel to that beach on foot, not on a dragon. He's actually searched through snow for a trail a lot of times, so he'd be better at finding the scent than any other dog," I told the two if them. They exchanged looks with each other. "You know, I feel like you guys have some kind of secret language when you do that," I said sarcastically. "Anyway, who knows what we'll find?"

Kelda and Randolf walked in at that moment, causing us to end that conversation, but it was basically over with anyway. "I swear," began Randolf, "Every time you kids leave the village, one of you gets hurt," he said, pointing a look at me. I tried on an innocent smile. "If someone had told me last year that Astrid and the other young'uns would put their lives on the line for a bunch of _dragons_, I would have told him he should shut up or be thrown into exile for insanity!"

"Technically, I didn't have a dragon to put my life on the line for. I pulled out my sword out of pure stupidity," I said, trying to put on a look of mock pride, then giving Astrid a smile.

"So we noticed," said Kelda. "I have to say, they raised you to be brave, lass, over on Mount Cove." I noticed the look Kelda was giving me, full of wonder. "Next time, just don't throw yourself off a cliff into the raging sea during the middle of a storm."

"I'll be sure to remember that," I told her, wincing as I moved my arm slightly. Kelda moved closer to me, putting her hand over my forehead. It felt freezing compared to my hot skin.

"You're burnin' up hon," she said. "Astrid, get me some of the medicine the healers gave us." Astrid got up immediately.

"It's not the same stuff that put me to sleep, is it?" I asked. "I've only been awake for ten minutes." I didn't exactly feel like sleeping another day.

"As far as I'm concerned, you need all the sleep you can get. But no, it isn't. Besides, before you can get back to sleep, you need to eat," Kelda told me.

For some reason, even though I hadn't eaten for days now, I didn't want to eat. I felt sick to my stomach, and I was worried any food would come right back up. Nevertheless, after they gave me the medicine, I ate what they brought to my bed. It would help me feel better, I knew, and since food in many places is hard to come by, one doesn't just refuse a meal. I ate a full serving of mutton and some rye bread. They seemed to see how sick I felt, and didn't make me eat more.

Now, however much I tried to hide it, I was feeling tired again. Hiccup and Astrid left me alone, and I let myself drift off.

* * *

_"And the One shall take to the air," the voice kept saying over and over, the voice of the god. "And the One shall take to the air."_

_"Who is the One?" I asked it, getting annoyed. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"_

_"The One shall take to the air," was its reply. "I cannot leave my children alone. All of you are my children, so I am with you, too."_

_"What if I don't want you to be with me?" I asked._

_The god, ever-patient, just gave a gleeful laugh. "That would be a most unfortunate decision."_

_"For who?" I asked._

_"For you, and for everyone. All the Vikings of Berk, as well as the people beyond Berk, all the way around the world. Do not turn me away, Klara, for I shall guide you. In turn, you must guide those who look to for leadership, and all others, too. Help them to follow you."_

_This just confused me, so I went back to my earlier question. "Who is the One?" I asked, looking at the bright light of the god._

_"You must know your destiny, Klara. You are the One," he said, full of happiness and foreboding, an odd combination._

_I suddenly remembered a story Dad told when I was a little girl. Dad's nana had come from Berk, and she had made sure he knew all the stories of her home village. Dad told me a few of these stories, including a prophecy named The Calling. The last line of the first verse came back to me now._

_"'And the One shall take to the air,'" I recited. "So the Omen is coming true, then, is it?"_

_"I sent my message of The Calling to the elder when Berk was first settled. She was the only person who would receive my message and believe it, for she was the only one who believed in Me," said the god._

_"But all the Vikings of Berk believe in the gods," I said, perplexed._

_"But not Me," he said firmly, but gently. I could detect the anger in the voice of the god. He was an odd god. From all the stories I'd been told, I thought all the gods were harsh and cruel. This one was firm, yet loving. He had called the people his children, that he was our Father._

_"Which god are you?"_

_But the being floated up, disappearing high overhead, and leaving the world in the black._

* * *

I woke up feeling nauseous, but thoughtful. "I think I'm going crazy," I whispered quietly to myself. I had no idea if I actually believed in the dreams, but even of they weren't real, they seemed to symbolize something. The god had said to never turn away anyone, but did that include even enemies? I was at a loss for thought at this.

Astrid, Hiccup, and Fishlegs took this opportunity to walk up to the room. "What's wrong?" asked Fishlegs, apparently seeing the distressed look on my face.

"Just a weird dream," I said, feeling no need to lie about it. After all, who else could I talk to about this?

"About the boar?" asked Astrid.

"Nothing like that. Just something about a story I heard as a child," I began delicately, trying not to freak them out. I could tell them, but I needed to be cautious. "The Calling?"

"The what?" asked Fishlegs.

"What about The Calling?" asked Hiccup suddenly, now looking very interested.

"Well, there was a god, and he kept repeating this one line of the omen, The Calling. 'And the One shall take to the air.'"

Hiccup looked away, seeming distressed. The others didn't notice, but I did. "Well, I've never heard of The Calling," said Fishlegs, astounding everyone. Fishlegs seemed to know everything about anything. "I can look for a book on prophecies, or speak with the elders. But what else did the god say to you in your dream?"

"'And the One shall take to the air,'" I repeated. "It was talking about _me_."

Hiccup turned to look at me with piercing green eyes, then abruptly left the room. We heard the downstairs door's slam echo through the homestead.

* * *

**(A/N) Okay, I'm having a little bit of a confidence fall right now. I feel like no one's reading this. Remember, reviews aren't just good to help an author better a story, they're also a major part of a writer's self esteem. Don't get me wrong, I'd continue writing this even if not a single person bothered to click on it, but it would still be nice to see if the people reading this are actually enjoying it. Thank you.**


	11. Omens and Toys

**(A/N) What's up guys? I really would like to know how you all like the story, you know. If there is a particular reason why no one is leaving a review, perhaps you could tell me? I know there are ****_some_**** people reading this (because I have this mystical ability called the Traffic Graph that allows me to sense when people have clicked on my stories) so I would greatly appreciate if you could write a quick review and tell me if the reason why you don't review is because the fan fiction is horrible. I would like some feedback.**

* * *

_**Chapter 11 Omens and Toys**_

"What was that about?" asked Fishlegs. Looking from the stairway where Hiccup had just gone, to me, still lying in the bed.

"I don't know," I said, my voice faraway. I really didn't have an idea for Hiccup's odd mood swing. "You don't think I scared him off with the talk of that dream, did I?"

"I don't think so," answered Astrid. "Hiccup isn't one to get upset over something like that. Maybe he was just in a bad mood or something."

"Okay," I said reluctantly, then a smile crossed me face as a new thought came. "Where's Erik? I haven't seen much of him lately."

"He's downstairs," replied Astrid. "Strange. You're the only girl I know who's actually eager to look after a baby."

"He's my cousin. Besides, he reminds me of home," I said. Astrid climbed down the stairs and got the sleeping bundle. She placed him tenderly in my bandaged arm, and I felt like I was his mother, just like I felt on the boat. Erik's warm breath fell upon my face, smelling like goat's milk. He was curled in the blanket I had brought him in, and I smiled as I thought of my home village. It seemed like a distant memory, but each detail of the place would remain fresh in my mind.

"Where's my bag?" I asked.

Fishlegs lifted the pack from beside my bed, placing it beside me on the covers. "Here you go," he said.

"Thanks," I said, fumbling my fingers inside the pack. "I know they're in there somewhere."

"What are you looking for?" asked Astrid. "Need any help?"

"Nope," I replied, pulling out the bundle I had been looking for. I shook its contents out on the bed, making the toys roll away across the covers. "Found them. They're a few toys I brought Erik. The ones he wanted."

I smiled as the baby woke up softly, then suddenly reached for the carving of the bear. He wrapped his fat fingers around the dark wood, holding it close to his skin while I cradled him in one arm.

"Uncle Arn and my father made these. Dad made the bear, and Uncle made the others. I thought Erik should have a piece of his home," I told them. But I realized they weren't paying attention. They were staring hard at the carvings, seeming to be in a trance. "What's wrong with you guys?"

"Your father and uncle must have been very handy with their knives," said Fishlegs, staring at the Thor's hammer and the bear. "The carving is amazing."

"Thanks," I said, remembering the long hours I had watched Dad carving away at a branch or log until a work of beauty emerged from it. "A lot of people at home were this good or even better."

"Your dad must have been actually _watching_ the bear," Astrid said. I looked at her in amusement. My mind silently replayed the scene of the morning when Dad came home with that toy bear in his hands.

"He did," I said, and they both looked up in shock. "It was from a safe enough distance, and the bear never knew he was there, but he spent three hours watching the animal graze on the sedge, while carving the creature from a log. He was always doing stuff like that."

"Wow," exclaimed Fishlegs quietly.

"Wait, what's that one?" asked Astrid suddenly, pointing to the edge of the bed, where a figure was half hidden under a shadow. The part under the light looked to be a roughly textured eel tail with flaps on them. Astrid reach for it, seeing as I couldn't move my arms and keep the baby stable at the same time. "Wow," she said, truly awed.

It was the dragon carving Erik had reached for the day I let him choose the toys I would bring for him. The dragon toy, which I had only previously glimpsed once, now had my full attention. The long neck had a gaped throat, jutting out from under the chin in a smooth fashion. The mouth was open wide, and there weren't just sharp teeth like a normal dragon's, but there were also smooth molars like a human's. A medium sized crest sat upon the creature's head, wide and round. The tail was far-reaching, and along the entire back were sharp spikes. I gazed at it's outstretched wings that curved upward like a bat's wings, marveling at the size compared to the body of the animal. They'd be nearly as big, maybe even bigger than a Night Fury's wings in comparison. Underneath the wings at the dragon's legs, I saw that the front feet were webbed with thick, curved claws on them. They were relatively short and thin, unlike the back legs, which were very, very long and thickly built. However, what caught my attention right off the bat was how large its feet were. I had forgotten this detail from when I had seen the carving before, and now they seemed even bigger, a quarter as long and half as wide as the entire creature.

"I've never seen a dragon like this," said Fishlegs. "Did you have these at Mount Cove?"

"No, we didn't," I answered slowly, not quite understanding any of this myself.

"Then what is it?" inquire Astrid.

"To be quite honest, I don't know. It was one of Erik's toys, and he reached for it when I went to see which ones I would get, so I just put it in the bag," I told them, wondering why Erik had now turned his gaze from the toy bear to the dragon carving.

"Okay, that's not strange at all," said Fishlegs sarcastically, and Astrid put the carving down on the small table next to the bed.

"Well, I've got to go. I have to take Stormfly over to Gobber's place to get a broken tooth pulled," said Astrid, getting up.

"I have to leave, too," chimed Fishlegs. "Dad will ship me off tied to a mast if I miss dinner again."

"Okay, bye guys," I said. They began to walk towards the stairway.

"See you later," I called to them. "See if you can find out what happened with Hiccup."

"Gotcha," they both said.

I kept Erik cradled in my arm, waiting for him to look away from the creature carved from bright tan wood. Waiting for him to close his eyes and go back to sleep, or to start playing with the bear in his chubby hands. However, in the next moment the bear dropped from his grip, rolling to the edge of the bed and clattering onto the floor. His eyes bore into the dragon with a curious light, but something else, too. Something that hinted vaguely at the identity of the creature. And that something unsettled me more than he could if he had just picked up the toy and started hugging it.

I reached over to the toy with a shaking arm and rolled it under the bed, but when I looked back, Erik was still staring at the spot where the dragon had been.

* * *

The week passed in slow motion as I waited impatiently for my body to begin healing. The healers had come back twice, checking the wounds. They seemed concerned that there were still open wounds. They had unwrapped the bandages to find them partially soaked with the dark red fluid that was blood, a sharp contrast to the pearly white cloth bandages.

"They should have at least begun healing by now," the oldest had said on their last visit, two days ago. "However, since there are many other injuries, the process of the body's healing may be a bit slower than it would be normally."

I didn't tell them about how my right arm, the one with the hog cut, had been hurting. It wasn't too bad, but it had been distracting enough. I reminded myself to ask for more of the medicine later, since I had run out of the stuff yesterday and had failed to tell anyone before falling asleep. I didn't think it mattered very much. There was no way that a day could make a very big difference, and so I went back to being excited about the new splint I would be getting.

Now, the healers had come back to put my broken arm in a new splint. While I changed from a sleeping robe into an outfit of Astrid's that I had to borrow, the younger woman gently took off the old splint, one that had kept my arm in a bent position, and the oldest healer, whose name I had previously found out to be Eira, presented to me a shorter splint that only held the lower part of my arm after the elbow. With this new splint I would be able to maneuver my arm and use crutches. Basically, I would finally be able to get out of this bed by myself. A thrill of anticipation shot through me. With it, though, came a somber nervousness.

I thought quietly about the events of the past week while Eira adjusted the splint to the size of my arm. Hiccup had not left his house since that day he abruptly left Astrid, Fishlegs, and me. That is, except to read in the Great Hall's minuscule collection of books. Fishlegs saw him there during one of these times, but Fishlegs told us he looked frightening. His hair was an uncombed mess, greasy from neglecting to have a good bath, and his entire body seemed disheveled. Hiccup's eyes, red with dark circles under them, had a faraway look about him. Astrid went to check on him after he walked out on us, knocking on his door, but Stoick answered and said Hiccup wasn't there, although Astrid could see the candles flickering in the boy's room. No one bothered him after that, and no one asked any questions. Astrid ran the dragon classes, since he didn't even show up for that. Toothless stayed with him up inside Hiccup's room, giving a slight roar every now and then. I tried not to think about it all too much, which was easier after what Snotlout, Ruff, and Tuff told me the day after Hiccup made himself disappear.

The three had taken Axel to that spot on the beach, the place where they'd found me, trudging through the wet, heavy snow. Axel had immediately begun trailing around the spot, his head deep in the white cold, looking for the scent of whatever it was that saved me. Axel, with his wolf's sense of smell, had finally picked up the scent. The three followed him for a long hike, trailing behind him for hours until they found… their own footprints. The scent trail had led them in circles, and Axel hadn't been able to find a different trail. Snotlout "politely" suggested that Axel was just a dog and Hookfang could've found the scent if they had brought the dragons.

"No," I had told them. "Axel is the best hunting and scenting dog at Mount Cove. Dad bred his mother, another great hunting dog, with a wolf so that the pups would be top class elk dogs." I spoke this with pride in my voice. "That was no ordinary trail. I've never heard of any animal that doesn't only not leave a scent trail, but makes a fake one. I've got to find out what this thing is."

Now Eira began to unwrap the bandages from my broken arm, revealing bruised skin with red marks in it from the cloth, a large splint, and a red line that marked the spot where my bone pierced through flesh and skin.

"This is a good sign," chattered Eira. "Very good. The wound's healing," she said, "finally."

One of the other healers looked at my arm, smiling. "Should be healed soon, lass," she said, then she coated it with some watery medicine. "Would you like us to check the wound on your other arm?"

"Thank you ma'am," I said politely, "but it hasn't been bothering me, and Kelda has been making sure I have plenty of the medicine." I knew this was a lie, but I had something else to do at the moment. I would go see the healers later.

Eira looked at me oddly. "Anxious to get out of here are you?" she asked, reading my mind. "Do you really think it is wise to turn down care for a hog cut?" she said, looking at me with stern eyes.

My eyes, my mouth, my entire face, was pleading with her. I had plans today, and I wanted as much time as possible to fulfill them. "Please?" I whispered.

She relented. "Oh, fine!" Eira exclaimed. "But I _will_ look at that arm later!" I smiled at the old woman. That arm was actually feeling very sore today, but I was ignoring it. Besides the soreness, though, I also felt sick to my stomach. That was nothing new, though.

Eira fastened the splint to my arm, handed me the crutches, and the younger healer helped me get onto shaky feet. "Thank you!" I exclaimed, trying to make my way with the hardwood crutches toward the stairs without too much pain, then I began to shuffle my way down. Harder than it sounds. These movements consisted of leaning half my weight against the wall, then hop on one leg one step down at a time. It's even harder when your one way of balancing yourself, your arms, are just as messed up as the leg you're wobbling around with. So when I got to the bottom of the steps, I gave myself a pat on the back and thorough congratulations, as if I'd just managed to hike an entire mountain.

"You must be so very proud!" yelled down Eira, and I turned my body to see her staring at me and laughing heartily. "There _is_ such a thing as vanity! You know that, right?"

"Ha ha, very funny," I replied sarcastically, then made my way from the house.

The air that hit me when I got outside was cold, yet it was full of the sweet scent of hay and apples and hard work. I turned around on the crutches, looking at how the world had changed. It was covered in a thick layer of heavy, wet snow, and the village had turned white. A joyous barking sounded behind me, then Axel was padding up next to me, hopping around for a moment then calming into a trot as he followed me up the hill, icy fog rolling from our faces each time we breathed out. I was going to a specific place. I laid my eyes on the largest house of the village, then knocked on the door.

There was a shuffling inside, then Stoick answered the door. "Hello Klara, it's good to see you up and about again," he said, smiling.

"Thank you, it feels great to be moving around. Is Hiccup here?" I asked.

"Sorry, he left about an hour ago in the direction of Gobber's place," he said, pointing down the hill toward the blacksmith/dentist shop.

"Thanks, have a good day," I said warmly. I left the home, walking purposefully down the hill, going as fast as a girl could who was on crutches and trying not to slip on the ice and snow.

I walked through the village, smiling at those who waved to me, and when the building was in front of me I did not hesitate to go right into the shop.

Hiccup stood, his back to me, shuffling through papers and running his finger through pages of books. He didn't hear my approach. He didn't see how big of a mess the shop was, with papers and scraps of metal everywhere, none of the metal actually being worked on. He didn't turn around. I took slight pleasure in how he jumped when I said, "Hey."

* * *

**(A/N) Again, please REVIEW! I don't mean to be nagging about it, but I've put the past nine months of my life into developing, planning, and writing this story. I have never worked harder on anything in my entire life. I think nine months of work (so far) deserves at least one review per chapter or two. This is just me, but I review pretty much everything I read. Like I said last time, I won't stop updating if you don't review, but the reviews are very important to authors. If you have written anything on this website, how would you feel if no one cared enough about your work to leave just a simple review? ~ End of my rant.**


	12. The Turn

**(A/N) Special thanks to both Toothless-the-nightfury and Lady Cocoa for the reviews last chapter! I know it seems a bit slow right now, but you'll be seeing some juice soon. If you want a hint at the plot, just check out the prophecy, cause it foretells the full story. The good stuff is kind of beginning in this chapter, but the next chapters will truly begin the plot.**

* * *

_**Chapter 12 The Turn**_

Hiccup sighed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he said coldly, not even bothering to turn around and face me. Axel trotted up beside him, then turned back to stand next to me.

It was such a small comment, but it made me feel hurt. He hadn't bothered to come around for a week, whereas even Tuff and Lout came by the house a couple times. Now he was tuning me out like I was just some pest. I tried to keep the anger out of my voice. "I got some crutches."

"How nice for you," he said in reply, continuing to flip over papers. "As I've already asked, what are you doing here?" He just sounded irritated.

"Like I need a real reason," I said lightly, rolling my eyes even though he still hadn't turned to see. "I wanted to know what you've been doing for the past week."

Once again he paused, and I swear he had stopped breathing, it was so quiet. He stood motionless, seeming to refuse to move, refuse to show me his face, refuse to let himself care. He moved with slow, deliberated steps. Move one foot, then the other, until his body had turned fully around, and I saw the extent of what Fishlegs had recounted to us of Hiccup's appearance when he was at the library. His normally soft, green eyes had become so bloodshot there was no white left, and both had very dark circles under them. Even the green of his eyes were nearly gone due to the fact that his pupils were completely dilated. His hair was tangled and a total mess. When I had hair like that, Mum would tease me by calling it a rat's nest. He held his body like it was about to fall apart, a pronounced slouch defining him. Well, I thought, at least he's bathed.

"Is that your business?" he nearly hissed. "Please, just go away."

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick or something?" I asked, my voice raising slightly.

"I'm not sick. Now, will you leave?" he said forcefully, standing up a bit straighter, but I could see the darkness growing heavier inside of him.

"Tell me," I said, standing firm. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I told you, it's none of your business!" he yelled now, fury expanding over him. "Just go!"

He turned around again, leaving his back to me. He let out another long sigh, then he seemed to crumble a bit, leaning down onto the work counter. His fingers reached into his knotted hair, clenching around soft strands. As the muscles clenched in his fists I heard the ripping of the follicles that had the misfortune to be caught inside his hands. I felt that hurt grow stronger, and yet I still limped around to stand next to him. I burned my stare into Hiccup's head, willing him to look up at me. Axel sat next to where I stood, whining with anxiety.

"It may not be any of my business," I began, "but I don't care. I'm not leaving until you talk to me, tell me what's wrong." I backed up again, giving him some space. We both knew that I meant what I said, so it would be easier for everyone if he just gave in and told me.

The boy straightened, looked over his shoulder, and gave me an almost quizzical look. "You're not like the others," he said. "Anyone else would have just left me alone. Actually, they did do that."

"I think we've long established that I'm not like the others. Now, back to business. What's with you?" I said, leaning on my crutches. I tried not to wince at the weight I put on my painfully throbbing right arm before I shifted again.

Hiccup hesitated, but only for a moment. "I thought it was just a dream. It happened over a year ago. It was while my father and everyone else still thought I was worthless, so I didn't bother telling anyone. No one would've believed me."

"Believed what?" I asked intently. I didn't know if I could help him if this thing happened over a year ago, considering I've only been on Berk a few weeks.

"I was running through the forest, and it was so bright and happy for Berk. I was running so free, but it was like something was drawing me in. Then I stopped in my tracks, because a god was in front of me," his voice became quiet.

I realized with an awful dread where he was going with this, and I began to sink in my spot. Now it was my turn to want to tune him out. I just wanted him to stop talking. "Please," I begged. "Please don't."

However, I had refused to stop prying when he wanted me to, and he apparently thought he had to keep going with this. "The god told me about this prophecy, named the Calling. I knew someone was coming, and that's what the god was trying to tell me."

"And you didn't think about this at all over the past few weeks that I was here?" I asked, suddenly feeling dizzy. I teetered a bit on the crutches, but refused to let myself fall. "The things it said in the omen, She shall be chased farther than can be seen. I left my own island. Then there's 'And find an ancient brood has risen, the one hated from the start,' that's talking about the dragons! Dragons have been enemies of the Vikings since anyone can remember. Now the Vikings have friendships with them." My eyes suddenly widened, and I began to grow even dizzier. Hiccup was matching my thoughts now, but he had apparently been through this in his head many times already.

"'When it seems the world is in the good, and there are friendships everywhere, a new evil shall stand where happiness stood, and the One shall take to the air.'" He paused, hesitant, then continued. "We're going to be invaded. And so are all the other islands, if my hunch is correct."

Oh… my… gods. This simple, three word phrase, walked its way through my mind slowly and deliberately, leaving a mark of dread in its wake. A flush of warmth ran through me, and I felt like I could just die right now. My mind muddled for a moment, and I felt incredibly light-headed.

"You didn't tell anyone else this, right?" I asked slowly, eyes still wide.

"No, I didn't," he replied, pacing up and down the mess of a workshop.

"Okay, then what are we going to do? Who do we tell?" I asked, expecting this thought to be greeted with relief, or at least respect, but instead Hiccup looked at me incredulously.

"Look, we need to think about this carefully. If we tell my father, he probably won't believe me. If we tell the villagers, they'll either freak out or won't believe it either."

"Then what do you propose, then?" I spat, rolling my eyes for good measure.

"I don't know!"

"How about we begin by telling some of the group? I don't think we should tell Ruff, Tuff, or Lout, but maybe Astrid and Fishlegs. They're the only ones who are both level-headed and would believe us," I said.

"I don't know if we should drag them into this," he raised his voice in irritation.

"You're kidding, right? If this really happens, then everyone will get involved. Better to have at least a few people prepared," I retorted. "It's the only chance we have."

"No. Not yet," he remained firm. Axel began to pace around the shop, in greater and greater distress by the minute. It was odd that he would be this alarmed over an argument. I just ignored him.

"I'm telling Astrid," I told him. His eyes shot up at mine with a glance of pure anger.

"Why are you doing this? You can't wait until we get to a decision?" he asked, beginning to walk away. He left behind the papers and pieces of metal on the counter, stepped out of the shop, and began a slow walk back towards his house.

Only a second later, before Hiccup had barely gone twenty feet, a wave of nausea swept over me. I felt hot despite the freezing temperature, then suddenly the world was spinning. The ground rushed towards me and I heard a loud thud as my body made contact with it in a hard fall. I heard Axel suddenly start barking frantically, a loud alarm call I'd heard many times before when he had smelled a bear or wolf in the forest. It was a sound I'd associated with danger.

Then Hiccup was rushing to my side again. "Klara! What happened?!" he said frantically. His hand went to my forehead, and his alarm increased. "You're burning up!"

With a tremendous burst of strength for such a small and skinny boy, Hiccup hoisted me up and carried me hurriedly from the shop. He was running despite the ice and snow, all the while shouting, "Someone get the healers!" at the top of his lungs.

"I'm fine," I murmured. "Put me down." I didn't like the feeling of being helpless, and it was happening too often lately. It was incredibly un-Viking-like, and I wriggled a bit in Hiccup's arms. I finally gave up as a wave of heat and nausea enveloped my entire being.

It seemed as though the air around me was deprived of oxygen, for I was now gasping for breath. My vision faded in and out of a foggy darkness like it did when I was being thrown around in the ocean, but I could still register people running beside Hiccup and me. First there were only a few, but now dozens flocked around us while Hiccup yelled for them to move so he could get through.

"What…? What's going on?" I whispered, but Hiccup didn't seem to hear, and I began to get scared.

We burst through the doors of the house, while the villagers stayed at the entrance. "Hello?" Hiccup cried.

"What?" came Astrid's voice. "Hiccup? What are you doing here?" she asked, then I'm guessing she looked down and saw me, because her voice became fearful. "Put her in the bed upstairs!" she said, ushering Hiccup to take me up the stairs. Judging by how bumpy the ride was, he was probably running.

I felt myself lowered onto the soft bed as the healers rushed in. "What's happened?" exclaimed Eira.

"I don't know, she just suddenly collapsed," replied Hiccup. "She's burning with fever."

The healers were scattering about while one of them rapidly unwrapped the bandages from my arm, the one that was cut by the boar. As the bandages came off there was an odd sensation of feeling my heart beat in that part of my arm, and I registered a dull aching and a fiery heat at the spot of the wound.

"This isn't good, Eira!" said the nurse that had unwrapped it. "Her arm is badly infected."

"That devious lass, she said she's been keeping her arm in good condition!" I heard the anger in Eira's voice. "Now she may be paying dearly for that lie."

"What the…" I repeated dizzily as the room twirled around in circles. "What's going on?" Everything was distorted, misshapen, foggy.

"Nothing, everything's okay," Hiccup said tenderly, kneeling down on the bed beside me. I turned my head weakly to him, trying to look into his eyes but instead all I saw was a blur. "It's okay," he said, now placing his hand on my shoulder. We were at eye level, and I forced my eyes to keep steady while I looked at his face. I could tell he was lying to me, that he had no more knowledge of the situation than me, but he was trying to comfort me. He was trying to make the fear I felt go away.

"Yeah," I said, feeling somewhat childish that I was letting someone who wasn't my mother or father protect me. The healers rushed about, collecting plants and herbs and putting down sharp objects on a table.

Astrid knelt down next to Hiccup, worry stamped on her. "Now, will you tell me what's going on?" I asked her, then smiled at Hiccup.

"I wish I could, but I don't know," she whispered. "The healers are just running around, doing stuff that only a healer could tell you what it was." She looked at me with a strange distance in her gaze. "You're going to be okay."

"You don't know that. You guys don't have to lie to me, you know," I whispered.

They both looked at me as though they hadn't heard what I'd said. Their gazes darkened, and they seemed to slouch down, shrink before me. I felt happy, however, because Hiccup seemed to have lost that anger inside him that I'd just been trying to talk out of him. In fact, he seemed to have come back to life. I was reminded of a snowdrop flower I'd seen in a field once, back home. A small branch, full of green leaves, had fall beside it, blocking light from it and keeping it in the dark. I had seen many of these flowers before, dotting green fields with white. They were shaped and colored much like a drop of wet snow about to fall from wherever it was. This one, though, was hanging close to the ground and had lost some of it's bright white color. I proceeded to pick up the branch and toss it away, letting a beam of sunshine onto the small flower. What happened next was like watching a miracle. The snowdrop glowed bright, reflecting the light of the sun's rays, and the bright green stem straightened. The flower picked itself up, standing not necessarily tall, but certainly bright. It was much like Hiccup.

Eira was examining my arm while simultaneously coating the open wound with the mixture of herbs. I winced slightly at the contact on the infected area, but knew it would do no good to protest. My eyes found Eira's, creased with worry, not even trying to hide it.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Klara. This is bad, very bad. You're arm is in a higher stage of infection," she said, then suddenly turned to Astrid. "Lass, where are your parents?" she asked.

Astrid paused for a second, trying to remember. "Dad has been at the docks since dawn, trying to get a few winter cod," she answered. "Mum and Erik are at her friend's house."

"Get them. Bring them here right away Hurry!" she said urgently.

Astrid looked at me, not quite wanting to leave, but ran down the stairs and to the door. I heard the shudder as the door opened, then the loud bang and thud as it slammed closed. Eira now looked at Hiccup. "Keep talking to her, lad."

He nodded slowly, turning to me. I didn't really know what there was to talk about, but I kept a steady gaze with him. Brilliant pine green eyes against piercingly soft hazel ones. Who would win in this staring contest? He didn't waver as he began to speak. "Where's that tooth, the shark tooth?" he asked, surprising me. I had suspected him to say something along the lines of "Don't worry about what's happening," or "The healers will help you and all this stress will be over with soon," or even "So, how has your week been going?" Nevertheless, I pointed my gaze towards the small table beside the bed.

"In the drawer." He looked over to the drawer, then back, smiling.

"Good to know," he whispered. I didn't even bother to ask what that was all about.

Suddenly, I felt a piercing sensation in my arm, and the shock of pain thrummed in my head. A low moan escaped my lips, and I felt my vision fog from the continuing pain. My arm felt like it was under pressure, like something was slowly strangling it, then with the pain continuing, it seemed as though some of that pressure were being leached away. When my vision cleared, I looked up at Eira, who was standing at my arm.

"What are you doing?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"I've made an incision in your arm. I'm draining the wound," she said quickly while holding a bucket beneath my arm.

"Draining?" I said, then saw the fountain of milky yellow liquid literally spraying out of my arm. It made me feel even more dizzy, and I swallowed hard to make sure I didn't vomit at the ghastly sight. "Oh," was all I managed to say.

"Don't think about that, Klara. Just, look over this way," said Hiccup, taking away my attention. The way he was smiling, genuinely smiling, seemed to take me away from this place. I was back on Stormfly, soaring through the sky or diving into the ocean. The world at my fingertips, it was a great feeling, and I was thankful to have Hiccup here to take me away to it.

I laid there while the healers swarmed around me, just looking at Hiccup while he whispered soothing words to me, thinking about what was really happening inside me. I knew what an infection was, and I knew that many were fatal, but the healers hadn't told me what would happen to me. I also thought about what would happen when I was well again, if I did get well. It was strange how looking into the eyes of one of your best friends could make you think of all that, then take you away from it like it didn't matter.

I was beginning to look at Hiccup differently. He wasn't just a goodhearted, smart and strategic boy, but more complex than that. I was seeing him with a new light, and I liked what I saw.

Suddenly, the door downstairs swung open with a thud, and Astrid, Kelda - holding Erik - and Randolf were running up the stairs, their faces flushed. Kelda's eyes were overly bright, while Randolf just seemed shocked. Eira ushered them over to the side of the bed, which was strange, since they were indeed in their own home.

"Now that you're all here, I can tell you what will happen," she said.

"Well? What is it?" asked Astrid frantically.

"Klara's arm must be amputated," Eira said gravely.

This announcement was greeted with a stunned silence. I wasn't sure if I'd heard the woman correctly, that perhaps I'd fallen asleep and was having a nightmare. Then when I woke up, this would all be over, like nothing had ever actually happened at all, because it hadn't. However, one look at Eira's mournful expression, and I knew I wasn't getting off that easily.

"Are you sure?" choked out Randolf. "Is there no other way?"

"If we don't, she probably won't survive. We can't wait, not even one more day. If we wait any longer, it will be too late," Eira spoke with a slightly rapid tongue, reinforcing how little time there was.

Everyone looked to me. Apparently, this was my decision. Would the healers operate, amputating part of my right arm? Or would they not operate on the off chance that I might survive, in order to keep my arm? For me, it was an easy decision.

"Do it," was all I said, and the healers began rushing about. Hiccup, however, didn't look satisfied with the choice.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You'll lose your arm." By the sound of his voice, I could tell he was extremely hesitant. He should be, considering he himself is an amputee with a missing leg.

"Yeah, I'll lose an arm, but I'll still have another one."

* * *

**(A/N) There's Chapter 12, and the next chapter should be up in a few days.**

**~Wolf of IndigoRiver**


	13. Hard Words to Say

**(A/N) I'm posting a couple extra chapters this week because I feel like it.**

* * *

_**Chapter 13 Hard Words to Say**_

"You'll have to go now," said one of the healers, making Hiccup, Astrid, Kelda, and Randolf leave.

They gave me an herbal mixture, and a few minutes later, I was fast asleep.

* * *

Axel greeted Hiccup and Astrid as they stepped outside, giving them a nervous whine. "It's okay, boy," said Astrid solemnly. "Come on, let's go, Axel." Astrid began to walk away, Axel trailing anxiously behind her.

"Where are you going?" yelled Hiccup, running after her. Astrid showed no sign of hearing what he had said. She just kept walking while Hiccup followed closely behind.

"What do you care?" she said bitterly about a minute later. Hiccup stopped for a moment, then jogged up to her side. She turned her head away from him.

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked.

"You haven't really cared about us the past week. After Klara told us about her dream, you just walked out on us! You didn't show yourself at all for days, and you wouldn't let us come over and see what was going on," she yelled, turning her head enough in Hiccup's direction for the boy to see tears coming from her crystal blue eyes. He'd never seen her crying.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said, really meaning it. He truly was sorry for shutting them out. "I wasn't doing too well over the past few days. I had a lot on my mind. I didn't really want to talk with anybody."

"Then what happened today? You didn't want to talk to anyone, but you were the one who brought Klara in. It's just a little bit confusing," continued Astrid.

Hiccup sighed. "I was in the shop, and she came in. She wouldn't leave when I told her to go, and it made me mad at her. I was happy she cared, but I was mad just the same. We were arguing for a bit, then I just left. I didn't get very far before I heard Axel barking, and when I turned around, she was laying on the ground."

Hiccup had not been paying attention to where they were going, he was lost in thought of what had happened only an hour before, so when he looked up, he saw that they were approaching one of the many cliffs of Berk. This one overlooked the churning ocean, while the light of the full moon shown down on the grass and white snow. The entire night sky was reflected on the surface of the water, and as the water moved, the stars shimmered and the moon wobbled.

Astrid sat down on a largish rock, the clank of her metal skirt against the stone ringing out into the relative quiet. Axel stood close to her, trying to lick the tears from her face. Hiccup stood there as if he were paralyzed, looking out towards the constellation of the wolf, Canis Major, then to the brightest star in its midst. Most called it the North Star, but Hiccup had always been partial to calling it the Dog star. It was located in the chest of the wolf constellation, and most considered it to be the bright heart of the creature in the heavens. Hiccup usually only looked at this when he needed their assistance in navigation, but he was now intrigued in it for another reason. As Axel began a low, anxious howl, the star twinkled a bit, and Hiccup swore that it glowed a bit brighter.

"Hiccup," said Astrid suddenly, breaking him away from his stupor. "What's going to happen. Do you think she'll be okay without her arm?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup didn't think too much about it. "I think she'll be okay, but it's going to be hard on her."

"Hiccup, she might die," the girl said, now burying her head in her arms.

"I know," Hiccup said, sitting down next to Astrid. He put a comforting arm around Astrid. "You guys have become close, haven't you?"

"Duh, she's the only other relatively normal girl that's our age on the island!" exclaimed Astrid.

"Normal? Am I the only one who heard her talk like it's not a big deal she's going to lose her arm? Not to mention, when she's around animals, it's like Klara can understand them, or at least what's going on in their heads," Hiccup exclaimed, laughing a bit.

Astrid looked up at him, finally smiling. "Well, I did say relatively normal. She's more normal than Ruff anyway. Plus, we spend practically every minute of everyday together. It's nice to have a sister."

"Yeah, must be." Hiccup sat with Astrid, thinking about how much he didn't want Klara to die. She was different than most Vikings. Most have a violent, stupid, or strategic nature. Klara just seemed to have an understanding of the world around her, something Hiccup didn't even have. She could see through the eyes of others, and so she just seemed to know what they were thinking, not once turning away from them for what that was. It was like she knew things, things no one else could fathom.

"It just seems unfair," whispered Astrid.

"I know, but that's how life is," he said, the truth in his voice bringing on a wave of sadness. Did life really treat the good people this way? The thought seemed dark and depressing. Astrid answered his thoughts.

"I don't believe that," she said, standing up from the rock. "Maybe, maybe life throws challenges like these at people who can take them. If those challenges were given to those that couldn't, they wouldn't make it through them."

Hiccup followed her to the edge of the cliff, and both looked down on the waves crashing against the rocky wall. The splashes and swirls of the water echoed their roars throughout the valleys and forests. Simple sounds, yet they filled that void that had begun to gnaw in their stomachs.

"The villagers will be rough on her. Women don't have missing limbs, just men," said Astrid.

"Do you really think Klara will care about that?" Hiccup questioned. "I doubt the villagers would dare speak a word against her, except for maybe Mildew, but he doesn't really count."

"I guess you're right," she replied, then said nothing more.

The two stood, looking out across the freezing waters, and watching their breath come out in white fog and disappear again into the night. The snow around them seemed to whiten the night, leaving an odd dark glow wherever you looked. There would be much more snow soon. It would cover the country side, mountains, and forests, and everyone would be forced to wade through the cold white up to their knees. Now, Astrid looked at Hiccup.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiccup, confused by the question.

"Why are we just standing here? We should be back at my house, waiting for news," said Astrid, seeming to forget that she was the one who came here in the first place, Hiccup having simply followed.

They began walking back to the house, Axel trotting behind them. However, since they were not returning home after just some ordinary walk, they were both rather nervous, and both walked with an anxious stride. Halfway there, Astrid veered off completely, and began running full speed into the forest. Hiccup could only run after her, not to bring her back, but to just stay with her, make sure she was okay. Astrid was usually a very strong person, not too emotional, so he knew this was hard on her.

He didn't have trouble keeping up with her at all. Hiccup ran after her at a steady sprint, letting her stay a few paces ahead of him. He knew the rout she was taking well, considering he had taken this very path everyday for weeks a year ago, when he had first met Toothless. Soon, they arrived at the cove that was his and his friends' favorite spot to hang out. Astrid jumped from rock to rock down inside the formation, and Hiccup dutifully followed her. She paused near the edge of the ice-covered water.

"Astrid, it's all going to be okay," Hiccup said gently, taking her hand. Axel barked loudly from above, having not been able to follow the two down the slope.

"What if it's not?" she said.

"That's not for us to decide. It's in the hands of the gods now," he told her. The boy shivered at the mention of the gods, remembering the words of the omen.

"Then I guess we'll go back and find out," Astrid began. "But first, will you tell me something?"

"Anything," Hiccup replied, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"What were you and Klara talking about in the blacksmith shop?"

This made Hiccup pause, unsure of what he should do. Hiccup thought about what he would tell her, whether to lie or to honor Klara's decision to tell Astrid. After only a few seconds, he knew what he needed to do.

Hiccup began to tell Astrid everything.

* * *

"You didn't want me to know?" asked Astrid in a strangely calm manner, considering what Hiccup had just told her.

"I didn't want to pull you into all this. If this is really happening, it's trouble, but I don't know the full extent," Hiccup responded. "I at least wanted more time to think through it and that."

Astrid stood up, put her hands on her hips for a moment in disappointment, then let them drop to her side as she let out a long sigh. "You know you can trust me with something like this, and you know I'd find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, that's what Klara said. C'mon, let's talk about it on the way back. We've been gone for a few hours," Hiccup said, but then his voice dropped. They both knew that by the time they got back, the healers might have news of how Klara's operation had gone.

The two were greeted warmly by Axel when they reached the top of the cliff-like entrance. The dog had been waiting patiently in an abandoned bear den for them to come back. He was covered in tufts of the brown grizzly bear fur when he began jumping up on them in greeting, nearly knocking Hiccup back into the cove. He staggered slightly, then they all began the hike back to Berk.

It was a silent hike, for neither of them actually had any more to talk about. Each of them, and that included Axel, had a nervous gait. They were thinking about what the healers would say when they got back. Did Klara survive the operation, and if she did, would she survive the coming days? With all these things in mind, their strides were quick and they reached the village in no time. They immediately started toward the Hofferson home.

They ran over the crest of the hill, only to see a dark sight. Eira was outside the homestead, and in front of her, Kelda was leaning into Randolf, whose arms were clutched tightly around her. Kelda was weeping.

"Oh gods, please no," Astrid whispered in terror. Astrid and Hiccup broke into a sprint towards Eira. The old healer's face was dark.

"Well? How did the operation go?!" Astrid practically yelled. "Is she okay?"

The healer seemed to gather herself, not speaking for a moment, then she began. "She survived the surgery," Eira began in a croaking voice. "But she's very weak. It's unlikely she'll survive the next few days."

Astrid looked at the woman as if she hadn't heard what was said. She had a blank look on her face, perhaps thinking this was just a bad dream. Then that look turned to horror.

"I'm sorry," said Eira to Astrid. It echoed throughout the sky despite the quietness with which the word was spoken, and the resonating sound made the darkness of the night seem to grow darker. That one phrase seemed to seal it all, what Eira truly thought would happen. Those are the words a healer says when a patient didn't make it, was already cold in their beds.

"Astrid-" began Hiccup, reaching his hand out to Astrid, but she ran into the house before he could continue. Eira watched the girl go inside, then turned sharply back to Hiccup, her features downcast. In the low light of the full moon, now shrouded with gray storm clouds, Hiccup could only just make out the silvery tears running down her cheeks.

"It is a terrible night indeed, lad. The night is black with sorrow, chasing off the light that longs to brighten it. The light of the world," she said, looking up at the covered moon, "is in hiding."

With that Eira solemnly turned back to the longhouse, walking slowly inside. Hiccup stood there in shock for a moment, then strode after the healer. Axel whined softly, following with his head hung low, his tail between his legs.

Hiccup and Axel headed up the creaking staircase into a scene filled with a heaviness that could only be described as despair. Astrid sat hunched over in a chair at the foot of the bed, her head in her hands as she stared at the figure laying there. Klara's arm was thickly bandaged. At least, the part that was there. Her right arm ended in a stump just a few inches below her elbow. Her face was pale with a sheen of sweat over her forehead. Her breathing was shallow and gasping, as if her lungs weren't working at all. The girl in that bed looked very much like one who was dying indeed.

"Are you okay Astrid?" Hiccup asked from where he stood at the base of the staircase.

"I'm fine, but I really don't think that matters right now. It's Klara who's dying, not me. Remember?" she spat back.

"Klara's not going to die," Hiccup said firmly.

"Oh, wake up Hiccup!" yelled Astrid, a strong fury in her voice that Hiccup hadn't heard since when they first went into dragon training and he had nearly gotten them killed. So many times. Astrid stood up with her rage. "You're in your dreams right now! You heard the healers! They don't think she's going to live."

Hiccup watched as Astrid collapsed back into the chair, and it felt like he was watching the life go out of her. Axel approached the bedside tentatively, leaning up on the side with his front legs. He let out a little bark-whine and began to lick Klara's face before resting his head on her chest.

"Maybe you should listen to your dreams," said Hiccup. "They're what brings reality to life." Those were the words he had written in his journal on the first page. They were the words of an inventor, and of a dreamer.

With that, Hiccup knelt beside the bed, took Klara's one remaining hand in his, and whispered to the unconscious girl, "You're going to get well, Klara. You want to know why? Because you are the One. You are the hero of the Calling."

Hiccup paused to look at Astrid, who was now staring deeply at them. He wasn't sure if he'd really believed in the omen before, but now he was sure. "That is why you must live," Hiccup finished, and Astrid knelt beside him. They stayed there for hours, watching Klara's ragged breath.

"It's amazing," said Astrid thoughtfully.

"What?"

"How someone could just come into our lives and become so close to us. She's been here for a few weeks, and it feels like she's my sister."

Hiccup thought for a moment. "You know what, Astrid?" he asked, and she looked at him. "You guys are sisters. Not by blood, but by something else."

* * *

**(A/N) Yep.**


	14. Reunion

**(A/N) Thank you to lynxpaw for the review last chapter! Here's chapter 14!**

* * *

_**Chapter 14 Reunion**_

It all angered Astrid, the way the villagers seemed to not care one way or the other about Klara. They spoke not a word about it in the coming days as the girl lay in a state between life and death. Hiccup couldn't deny that she seemed to be growing closer to death. It angered him as well that his people, the people he would lead one day, were so incapable of compassion.

They were all sitting in the Great Hall, the group of teenagers, and it seemed they were the only ones respectful and silent. Astrid's head hung low, and Hiccup sat beside her, a sorrowful look on his face. Ruff and Tuff, who could never stop wrestling and fighting, were oddly lethargic and could only manage a few half-hearted punches at each other. Even Snotlout, forever arrogant and who had never before been able to stop talking about how awesome he was, was quiet. It was almost scary to see, at least from Hiccup's point of view. What surprised him the most, however, was how Fishlegs seemed to have gone out. Other than Astrid, he was showing the most outward signs of being depressed. He seemed to just stare ahead of him, or at the floor, at all times. When asked a question, he would just nod off, not bothering to pay any attention. This alarmed Hiccup, considering how since no one usually paid much attention to Fishlegs, he had always taken every opportunity to speak where he would be listened to. He hadn't appeared to be too close to Klara, so Hiccup was just plain confused.

"It's unfair," Snotlout said suddenly. "I remember, when you were in bed after losing your leg, everyone was so somber, and quiet. They're not treating Klara the same way, even though this is a direct result of heroically fighting off those hogs."

Hiccup sat there, stunned for a moment at his cousin's remark. "That's very deep of you, Snotlout. I'm impressed."

"Hey, I can be deep," he said half-heartedly. "It _is_ unfair though."

"Very few people around here care about an orphan. Back at her island, Klara would be similar in terms of status to you, Snotlout," Hiccup began, and Snotlout looked up at Hiccup in question. "She was the niece of the chief, just like you're nephew of a chief. She was probably very highly respected there, especially with such hunting skills. But all that goes away if your parents die. You drop from high status to low status."

"It's stupid," complained Snotlout. "Anyone deserves better than that. The villagers, they make me so mad sometimes. I wish I could just bludgeon their stupid heads in."

"Me too," said Tuffnut. "That would be so cool. Or we could use our dragons and blow up some of the ships," he said with excitement now.

"That _would_ be fun," said Ruff longingly.

"I've got to go," said Hiccup suddenly. Hiccup got up, pushed in his chair, and handed a small cloth pouch to Astrid, who looked at him in bewilderment. "Open it," he said, then left the others, much to their bewilderment. Hiccup was heading to the forge, where he had some… "special" work in mind.

"What's with him?" asked Ruffnut.

"That's just Hiccup being Hiccup," answered Snotlout, laying his head back on the table. "What did he give you, Astrid?"

The girl stuck her hand inside the bag, only to pull it out sharply again. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, shaking her hand. A small cut shown on her palm.

"What was that?" asked Tuff.

Astrid reached in again, this time more carefully, and pulled out a sharp white triangular shape with a serrated edge. "The shark tooth," said Ruff in bewilderment.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Astrid, suddenly smiling. "Get some string."

"I have a few Zippleback and Gronkle teeth," piped up Fishlegs, who was suddenly paying attention. A bit of life seemed to go back into him.

* * *

The group was heading back to the Hofferson home. Fishlegs was carrying a perfect little necklace made of dragon teeth and, at its center, the shining tooth of the shark pup. All of them wore a smile, although they tried to hide it. It would just be too embarrassing for a Viking to show excitement for anything besides warfare and fighting.

Hiccup suddenly ran up to them, his face black and shining with soot and sweat. He smelled of ashes and metal, and Astrid could tell he had been hard at work in the forge. "Where have you been?" she asked anyway in exasperation.

"Hey guys, I've been doing some work in the forge," he gasped, out of breath and looking tired. He looked at the necklace. "Klara told me the tooth was in the drawer, and I thought you guys might want to make something of it and leave it by her table. Apparently I was right," he said with a smirk.

"And why weren't _you_ helping us make it?" said Ruff accusingly.

"I was working on a… different project," answered Hiccup mysteriously. Astrid gave him a questioning, suspicious look, but didn't venture further.

"Well, let's go leave it by the bed. If… when she wakes up, she'll see it," said Astrid.

They all entered the home, greeted by the pleasant warmth that radiated from the fire pit. Small embers, shot up from around it, and the smoke billowed up towards the chimney hole in the roof. Astrid looked around with bewilderment, expecting Axel to greet her warmly like he usually did. After not seeing him, the group walked up the staircase, and a thrill of joy ran through Astrid once she reached the top. The girl stopped in her tracks, grinning ear to ear and letting out a laugh of pure happiness.

Axel was leaning on the side of the bed, licking the smiling Klara frantically while she pet his neck with a weak hand. The girl buried her face into the furry neck of her dog, and they could just barely make out the words, "Hey boy, glad to see you, too." Klara turned a pale face to them, locking gentle hazel eyes with Astrid's sharp blue ones. "Hey guys. What have I missed?"

* * *

It had felt like I had been sleeping for weeks, even months. It was a dreamless sleep, except for at the end, when I heard the bright yet apprehensive voice of a young girl. _"Lay still,"_ she said in her airy voice, which seemed to linger just a bit on the _s_. I saw nothing, it was all dark. I just heard her voice, and it seemed like it was only a moment later that I woke up to the warm, moist breath of Axel.

I was alone in the bedroom, dimly lit with a few candles, and Axel was leaning on the bedside. The pain in my arm sent my muscles screaming, but I forced myself to ignore it and lifted my left hand up to Axel. I buried it under the dark silvery-gray guard hairs and moved it around in the warm, silky winter undercoat. I heard his plaintive whining and his excitement was such that he was licking my face forcefully.

"I missed you," I said, even though I hadn't really gone anywhere. Who knows? Maybe I did. I continued rubbing him and then buried my face in his fur. "Hey boy, glad to see you, too," I said, filled with love at the sight of my dog. Then I turned my head to see the gang standing there, eyes beaming. "Hey guys. What have I missed?" My voice was hoarse as the words came out.

"You're awake!" exclaimed Astrid. The others let out a gleeful laughter.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" I said with a smile. A wave of nausea spun through me, and beneath it was a fierce hunger.

"So, seriously, what have I missed while I was, you know, asleep?" I asked.

"Stupid question," scoffed Snotlout. "Nothing ever happens around here."

"Except for there being a giant battle against a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus," I pointed out. "A.K.A. the Red Death."

"Yeah, well," said Fishlegs. "We made you something," he said quickly, handing a necklace over to me, and I automatically smiled. The string was full of dragon's teeth, each whiter than snow, and all looked sharp and deadly. Some were long and serrated, which I recognized as Zippleback teeth, and some were stronger at the base and more like a bear's or dog's canines. They were the teeth of a Gronkle. In between each tooth was a stone bead. Then, at the very center, I recognized the flat triangular one that looked slightly out of place among the others. Somehow, looking out of place made it look all the more perfect. It was the shark pup's tooth.

"Thank you," I whispered in awe. It was really quite a simple gift, but just that it had come from all of them, it felt special, and I knew they all cared about me. "This is awesome," I told them, putting the necklace on. "But you know what would be even better? If I could get out of this bed once and for all. It sucks to be forced to lay around all day."

"Weird, that would describe the perfect day for me," said Tuffnut.

"Yeah, that's because you're lazy," sneered Ruff.

Tuffnut hit her in the shoulder with a right jab, which then caused Ruff to tackle him. They wrestled and rolled around on the floor, all the while Tuff was yelping in pain from his sister's punches and kicks. Girl power, you can't beat that.

"Now _that's_ what I thought was missing from this little scene!" I teased with a laugh.

At that moment, Kelda and Randolf, as well as Eira and the healers, walked into the room. Kelda clutched Erik tightly, tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes. Randolf held an arm around her, his face beaming.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Klara," Kelda's voice was just as quiet and happy. She walked over to me, followed by the others. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she sat Erik on my leg. With a gentle hand, I caressed the face of the infant. It was soft, with thin and silky brown hair. His brown eyes, so much like his father's. So much like the eyes of Chief Arn.

"How do you feel, Klara?" asked Eira, with the focused look of a doctor on her face.

"Aside from a bit of nausea, I feel okay," I said with optimism, although my right arm hurt like hell.

I looked down at my arm, really looked at it, for the first time, and was, quite honestly, disgusted. Even rapped heavily in sterile white bandages, the arm looked disfigured, ending in just a stump. I fought the panicky feeling inside me, because I could tell that if I didn't, I would begin to hyperventilate. I felt ugly. There was no other way to really explain it. I felt ugly, dirty.

"Are you okay?" asked Astrid, showing concern at my obvious distaste. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm not afraid of pain. Anyways, it doesn't hurt too bad," I lied.

"This is amazing," said Eira suddenly. "Your fever is completely gone." She then unwrapped my arm enough to reveal everything but the actual stump, which I was glad she didn't show. "There's no more infection."

"But… that's good… isn't it?" asked Snotlout with a slightly stupid look on his face.

"It's impossible. That was one of the worst infections I'd ever seen. Even after an operation, there's no way it could've just disappeared so fast!" Eira was staring in disbelief at me. "It's impossible."

"Perhaps she has the gods on her side," suggested Randolf.

Everyone sat there for a few minutes, awkwardly quiet. Then Kelda shooed everyone out. She herself, left, taking Erik and Randolf with her. Eira left the house, stopping to give Kelda instructions that she must watch me closely for any sign of another sudden turn. Astrid stayed by the bed, and Hiccup was the last to leave.

"God," said Hiccup. "Not gods, god." I could tell he was thinking of the god that kept appearing to us.

This was more than I wanted to have on my mind when I'd only just woken up from a three day sleep. "Come here, Axel," I said, lightly tapping the bed, and Axel leaped up onto the furs. "Good boy."

I looked up, and was surprised to see Astrid staring at me. "You're lucky you only just woke up. If you were more healed, I would punch you."

I had the nerve to laugh at this. "Like you could. Anyway, what did I do?" I could see no reason for her to be mad at me.

"You scared me. You have no idea the hell this house has been in for the past few days. The healers said you were most likely going to die."

This was news to me, but I didn't feel like giving into the guilt that now crept in on me. "I didn't know you cared so much."

I immediately regretted saying it, but it was probably the only way the flush out all the pent up feelings into the open like springing woodcock from tall grasses. No one really liked to talk about that stuff, but, in the long run, it was better.

"You are so damned stupid," Astrid said, and I could here her trying to mask the hurt.

"Yeah, I know, I'm stupid." There was a long pause. "I guess that's how you learn, by making stupid mistakes. I just learned a big lesson the hard way, you know?"

I held up my stub, faking an amused smile. In truth, I felt like hell, like all the fight had gone out of me. And it was my fault. If I had taken better care of the wound, put the medicine on multiple times every day, then I'd still have two arms. Astrid looked at the stub, and frowned.

"I'm sorry," she said, slightly grudgingly.

"Me too," I replied.

"I do care, you know. So does the rest of the group. But you know what?" asked Astrid.

"What?"

"We're sisters," said Astrid. And I felt warmth running through me. I had never had a sister before. I'd never even considered Ida my sister, just my best friend. "So you can understand why I care so much."

"Yeah, sisters."

I felt like everything was right again, even though so much was wrong. Beneath the sinking depression clutching onto me, I felt the beginning of my own healing.


	15. Axel's Secret

_**Chapter 15 Axel's Secret**_

The month passed too slowly, in my opinion. I stayed in bed for another few days after that, and was confined to crutches the rest of the time. I could barely use the crutches though, considering one arm was in a sling, still broken, and the other arm was… well, gone. My leg, while recovering, could not bare any weight.

The only upside was the surprise Kelda had for me about two weeks after my operation. Eira was unwrapping the wound, and had just deemed it fit to stay out in the open air. This didn't sit well with me, mostly because I would have to stare at the disfigured, grotesque nub all day. It bothered me a lot, especially with all the strange pains I'd get in the arm that wasn't even there anymore. I tried to ignore it as much as possible. After Eira had left, Kelda walked up to the room with a bag in her hands, beaming widely. She pulled out of the bag a new set of clothes for me, and I stared in awe at them. It was a full outfit. There was a pair of coal black pants, an undershirt, and a knitted gray vest made of thick sheep's wool. It was the long-sleeved undershirt that caught my attention, though, specifically it's color. Never had I seen such a rich, deep shade of purple in my life except on a chief or his children. Indeed, this color was what higher class, wealthier folks wore. It was deemed royal purple.

"How can you afford this? I don't want to be a bother," I said quickly, though desperately wanting to try them on.

"Don't worry, lass. 'Twas a gift from Hiccup and Stoick. The young lad came by yesterday with the purple fabric, and I made the shirt today."

"Wouldn't Astrid want it?" I asked, still unsure.

"Asked her myself, but she said she wanted you to have it, given the circumstances," Kelda said.

I really did need clothes. Since the outfit I'd first arrived with was destroyed on the night we were attacked by the boars, I'd been using an outfit that Astrid had lent me. Still, I hesitated to pick up the clothes.

"Oh, go on Klara!" prompted Kelda.

Finally, I took the clothes, changing into them relatively quickly, considering I had to continuously lean on the bed for support. I could hardly believe how soft the fabric was, and I recognized it as something I had seen when traders had stopped at Mount Cove. They called it cotton, and was grown in more southern climates. It wasn't the most expensive fabric in the world, but it also wasn't the cheapest, since it came from a foreign country. I grabbed my helmet, wanting to somehow complete the outfit.

"You look like a royal warrior!" exclaimed Kelda. I smiled brightly, mesmerized by the color.

"And I'll be that warrior, when the time comes for me to fight," I had said, filled with pride. With that pride was some hesitation, though. Ever since the massacre, I didn't like to think of being a warrior that much.

I had been leaving the house more and more since I got the clothes, and I was sure to thank Hiccup for the gift. He just acted as though he had no idea what I was talking about. Something else that was good about these new clothes was that the long sleeves hid my nub of an arm, whereas Astrid's clothes were short-sleeved and everyone would stare at my arm as I walked by. And that included me. I was glad I could no longer see it. When the month was over, Eira examined my leg, and told me that the bones had healed. I was now allowed to walk without crutches.

"Yes!" I yelled, and immediately left the house, limping a bit but not caring.

The world was white from yet another snowfall, making it the fifth snow in two weeks. The paths around the village were cleared of snow from shovels and footsteps alike, and I ran up one path as I saw that Astrid was on it, heading towards Gobber's forge.

"Hey Astrid," I greeted.

"Oh, hey Klara. So, Eira said you don't need the crutches anymore?" asked Astrid.

"Yep, I'm finally free!" I exclaimed, then heard the familiar voice of Axel's barking. I turned and the dog jumped up on me, nearly knocking me backwards. Astrid steadied me. "Hey, boy!" I said. "Get off me," I said with a laugh, and he immediately obeyed.

"I wonder where he's been," commented Astrid as we continued on. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. He must've spent the night out in the woods. Don't you think he gets cold?"

"No, he has a really thick insulating winter coat. Besides, I taught him a trick. Well, he taught it to himself. He finds hard packed snow and digs a little snow den in it."

"When does he use that?" asked Astrid.

"When I'm on longer hunts. I only have a sleeping bag, and it's not really big enough for him, so he learned a different way."

"Okay, but where do you think he goes?"

"I don't know, probably off chasing snow hares. Maybe he found himself a girlfriend," I said with a smile.

We walked into the forge, which was unusually warm. It was probably in use. I walked down into the depths of the forge beside Astrid, making Axel wait outside. The last thing I needed was for him to accidentally jump up onto a workbench and ruining a project or getting himself burned. Gobber was pounding a hammer on a hot blade of metal that looked to be an axe.

"Hey, Gobber," Astrid and I called.

"Hello girls," he said without looking up. "Hiccup's in the basement."

"Thanks," Astrid said, then led me into the basement which was Hiccup's official private area.

When we walked in, he was at his desk, drawing something. He didn't look up at first. "What are you drawing?" I asked suddenly, making the boy jump up and hit his head on the wall. "Oops, sorry."

"That's okay," he said, rubbing his head, then sitting back down. "I was just drawing this," he pointed to the picture, which I immediately recognized as Axel, running after a small animal. "I saw him catch a hare yesterday."

"Well, I was right. That is what he was doing." I looked down at the drawing. "This is really good," I praised. The detail of the drawing was so exact, even the way the fur on the two animals billowed as they ran.

"He certainly must have had a good meal. I think he ran back near the other side of the village after he caught the hare, still carrying it in his mouth," Hiccup informed me.

"Well, I wish I could draw that well," I said. "And I'm sure Axel is proud you chose to depict him," I said, which brought on a laugh of agreement from the others.

"How's you're arm?" Hiccup asked.

"Which one?"

"I guess both," he responded. I gave a shrug. Neither had been hurting for awhile, so I had just ignored it.

"You want to go riding?" I suggested. "I really need a chance to do something."

"Sure," responded Hiccup, getting up from his desk. "I need a break from sketching and working at the forge," he said, then suddenly became quiet.

"What have you been working on?" I asked in suspicion, noting how he had shut himself up.

"A couple of different projects," the boy said rapidly, then started walking towards the exit. "Do you want to go riding or not?"

I shrugged, then ran after the boy. We ran out the entrance back into the white world, and I immediately saw that Axel was gone again. His tracks in the snow led off into the woods. "What is up with that dog? Why does he keep disappearing?" I asked in frustration to no one in particular.

Actually, now that I thought about it, Axel had been disappearing quite often lately. Back on Mount Cove, Axel would always sleep on the bed with me throughout the night, and if I woke up, he was still there. However, a few times in the past few weeks, he wasn't there when I woke up. He'd even gone off a few times during the day, only to return at twilight without any explanation for his absence.

Hiccup and Astrid simultaneously shrugged. "Don't know. Do you want to get the others?" asked Hiccup, changing the subject.

"I think Snotlout and Tuffnut are ice fishing with Spitelout," Astrid interjected. "Ruffnut has to help her mother with making thread and cloth from the sheep's wool. Fishlegs is free, though."

"Sounds good, I'll go and get him," I said. Hiccup protested, but I was already running off towards the boy's house. It was one a bit farther down the hill, closer to the water, which was good because his family's main income was fishing. I'd been one Berk for two months, and had begun to learn about each and every family, just as I had at Mount Cove.

I knocked on the door, and was quickly greeted by Old Man Ingerman, Fishlegs's father. By the look on his face, I could tell he was angry. His brow was creased, and his mouth was set into a hard scowl. He shared the blonde hair and blue eyes of his son, but wasn't fat like Fishlegs. And this man smelled heavily of mead. He swayed a bit in his drunken state.

"Hello, sir. Is Fishlegs here?" I asked, not quite sure whether I should have just left. However, the man's face seemed to brighten a bit, his lips curling into a slight smile.

"So, my son has an actual visitor? And a girl at that? Good for him. Fishlegs!" screamed the man into the house. I heard Fishlegs come down the steps from what I presumed was his room, and he scooted out the door. The heavy door closed with a resounding slam.

"Hi Fishlegs. You want to go riding?" I asked in bewilderment at what I had just seen.

"Uhhhh… Sure," he said quietly. "I'll get Meatlug."

I walked back to Astrid and Hiccup while Fishlegs left to get his Gronkle. I wondered if that's what Fishlegs had to deal with daily, a drunken father that was completely rude and, judging by the way he'd spoken about Fishlegs, not a good dad.

Astrid and Hiccup saw my saddened expression. "I didn't want you to see that," said Hiccup, seeming to know what had happened even though he hadn't been close enough to even hear. Nothing more was said, which only answered the question I had been thinking. I suddenly felt very bad for Fishlegs.

I tried not to think about it when I climbed onto Stormfly with Astrid, pulling my broken arm, still in its splint, out of the sling so I could better keep my balance. Today would be a calm flight, since both my arms were still healing. We bound into the air, and Stormfly began to purr, happy with being in the sky. I myself had been missing riding through the air.

"It feels so great to be up in the air again!" I called out with delight. Astrid elbowed me in the stomach, but I barely felt it.

"You're lucky we're letting you fly at all!" she said. "I doubt you should be doing anything like this until your arm is completely healed."

"That's not for another few weeks. I am so not waiting that long!" I told them.

"I'm here! I'm here!" yelled a boy's voice in a slight squeal. I turned, seeing Fishlegs buzz up on Meatlug like a bumblebee.

"Then let's get moving!" yelled Hiccup with a laugh, taking off high into the air, only to dive back down again a moment later like a falcon on its prey.

Stormfly, still moving gently for my sake, sped forward enough to keep up. The wind moved through my hair, lifting its braid and making it flap like a tail behind me. My helmet managed not to be blown off, and I closed my eyes. It was easy for me to let the wind envelop me, let the feeling take me, and I imagined it was just me flying. Like I was the one with wings, whether feathered like a bird's or scaled like a dragon's. this was a sensation I knew very few people experienced, and I savored every minute of it. Then I was cut of by Astrid's sudden jerking forward. Opening my eyes, disappointment rushed in at me.

"What?" I asked in irritation, but Astrid didn't turn around. She was bent forward, staring into the evergreen forest below us. I saw her eyes go wide.

"I think you're going to want to take a look at this," she said, then pointed down.

Below us, a dark gray shape was running over the snow at an impressive speed. I squinted, trying to make out what it was. It was too small to be a bear, and by this time most were already in winter dens, hibernating. It ran too fast over the snow to be a deer, for a deer's hooves sank straight down into the snow and slowed it up. Far too large to be a silver fox, although it had the shape of one. That meant it was either a wolf, a dog, or…

"Axel!" I shouted, finally making the conclusion. He was running speedily, half hidden by the trees, sometimes disappearing altogether, and he appeared to be carrying another snow hare in his jaws. Axel didn't seem to know we were here. He didn't look up, he just kept running.

* * *

**(A/N) Be excited for the next chapter. In that chapter you will finally find out what the cover picture is all about! Some of the things that you might find confusing now will come together in that chapter.**


	16. Words Unknown

**(A/N) I'm posting extra chapters this week because I will most like not be on the internet next week (vacation baby!) and I thought it'd be nice to just post the chapters now. This is the chapter you've all been waiting for, where you will meet Klara's dragon!**

* * *

_**Chapter 16 Words Unknown**_

"Astrid, take us down," I shouted above the wind. It howled incessantly up here in the sky, and made it hard to hear or be heard. "I want to see where he's going."

"Not a good idea. Stormfly doesn't fly well in thick forests. Or, at least, I'm not very good at flying her down in the trees."

"Then just drop me off, and I'll follow him on foot," I said. Astrid gave me an odd look, one that made it blatantly clear she thought I wasn't healed enough yet for any kind of physical exertion. I appreciated her thoughtfulness, but it was making me sick to my stomach. "Don't worry, just do it."

Grudgingly, Astrid steered Stormfly downward, and the trees steadily grew closer. Stormfly touched down next to Axel's tracks, and in the distance I saw him running with a purpose. "Go back and follow me from the sky," I said rapidly, then took off running as fast as I could, which wasn't very fast considering I was wading through snow a foot deep. In the first few steps the forest swallowed me, like I was disappearing altogether.

I followed the trail of paw prints through the thick snow, wishing I had snowshoes like the ones Axel and wolves had built in. The large surface area of their paws made it so they hardly sunk into snow. Each step I took, I sunk in completely, and my progress was therefore painfully slow. However, as the trees became thicker, the layer of snow was thinner. The trees had caught most of the snow, and after ten minutes I could finally break into a full, if somewhat painful, run.

* * *

Up in the air, Astrid was wishing she hadn't pointed out Axel being there at all. It's very hard to keep track of someone in the thick forest from the skies, and when Astrid looked back at Hiccup, she let out a sigh of frustration. "I can't see her anymore. I hope one of you have a plan, or else it'll take forever to find her and get back home."

"Just keep looking," shouted Hiccup. "Fishlegs, go down lower and see if you can see her."

Fishlegs did as he was told, but Hiccup had the ominous sense that the boy and his Gronkle would come up empty. Thoughts of the Calling entered his mind, and he oddly dreaded that something was about to happen. It was as though the forest itself was whispering it.

* * *

The pines and hemlocks covered darkness, not just hiding the ground from light but seeming to just steal it away. The songs of the woods- the elk's late song and duck calls, as well as the beauty of the wind's whistle- stopped all at once, sort of. Once I crossed into the deeper, darker woods, I could still hear these things, but they were at a distance now. I had crossed into an area no animal would take. Silence's shroud came down upon me, adding to the menacing atmosphere. _Why did Axel take this path?_ I thought. He was the only animal here, all others seemed to fear it. It was like a curse had been put on the place.

However, something beyond finding Axel drove me to continue running. The very forest itself called me on, and I wanted to answer its plea. With this deaf cry, I had the peculiar sense that I had been here before, that everything that already occurred had already happened to me at least once, maybe more.

For some reason, I was not running out of breath at all, and the speed with which I was running was unnatural for anyone freshly healed of a broken leg. I could see Axel in the distance now, not running anymore. He was sitting next to a clump of bushes, which blocked anything on the other side from view. I approached, seeing the snow hare on the ground by his paws.

"Axel!" I shouted in an odd mixture of delight and anger. "Come here boy!" I shouted the command.

Axel had never disobeyed me since he was a pup. I had taught him strict obedience since he was a few months old, never lenient with him as long as there was a good reason for his disobedience. Now, he barked twice, picked up the hare at his feet, and leaped through the bushes. "Axel!" I yelled, jumping to run after him.

One hop through the bushes, and a whirlwind devoured me in sensory overload. I was in a clearing, I could register that much. The bright sunlight, unable to shine through thick trees, would only be possible in a meadow. The glare of the light was so bright I staggered for a minute, blinking. My nose caught the sweet scent of honeysuckle and summer berries. Warmth seeped through my chilled skin, melting away the cold. The brightness subsided, and I could see a bright blue sky with a few small songbirds flitting about, and in the distance I heard squirrels chattering. A short way off I saw a white beach dotted with colorful sea shells, the waves washing up and down the shore. If the surrounding woods had been cursed, this meadow was certainly blessed.

"This is impossible," I whispered in awe. Even as I said it though, that small voice in the back of my head argued, _Nothing's impossible._

Then a very familiar voice called out from all around me, not just one specific place._ "Look to the east,"_ called the voice of the god.

I instinctively looked toward the direction the sun had risen that morning. There, Axel lay panting in the warmth, the hare gone from his mouth. His bright green eyes seemed almost triumphant as my gaze moved to what was behind him. A mere three feet away from Axel lay a creature slightly smaller than a Night Fury, with broad bat wings like one curled up against its body. It's head was narrow, and it's neck was quite long, somewhat like a Nightmare's or Zippleback's. The tail was far-reaching and vertically flat like an eel's, with tailfins on the end. Its front legs, long and thin, had large, webbed hands that ended with wicked curved claws like hooks. The back legs were even longer, and stronger looking, with giant feet at least two feet wide and three feet long. Spikes ran down this creature's back, and the entire body had a rough appearance, somewhat like sandpaper. On it's head, this animal was crowned with a brilliant grass green crest, and jeweled with a single splash of white in between the eyes, somewhat like the moon rising or a star. The color, unlike any animal I'd ever seen, was the exact color of my shirt, a brilliant royal purple. The wings had splashes and swirls of the same grass green as on the crest. This was a dragon, but not like any I'd ever seen.

This creature looked me in the eyes, and it mesmerized me. They were the same shade of pine green as Axel's, filled with a curious light. And it was that same curiosity that drove me forward slowly on now-shaking legs. The dragon's head rose on its flexible neck, but it showed no sign of aggression.

I felt like I was going back to the day, almost two months ago, that I had befriended my first dragon, Toothless. Sweat droplets formed on my brow, and that same old fear of dragons gripped me. It was a fear, an instinct, older than man itself. The predator verses prey fear, and I knew any dragon could turn predator on me. Part of the results would depend upon me, if I showed I was not afraid, if I showed my superior personality to that of a true prey animal, then the dragon would know its place not to attack. Something held me back though, a sense that I had no need to worry, like this dragon already knew me. I had, ever since I rode Toothless for the first time, been searching for the perfect hunting and riding dragon, but was unable to find one. I knew nothing about this dragon, and it even looked like a new species, but it seemed I knew this dragon as well as I sensed it knew me. It looked familiar, then it hit me like a ton of maple logs… this was the dragon Uncle Arn had carved, the one I brought with me as a toy for Erik.

I was three feet from the creature, and my first impulse was to reach up my right hand, until I remembered I no longer had one. I lifted my left arm in its cast, and reached my hand out toward this majestic, royal animal. We locked eyes, and an agreement was passed silently. The dragon leaned into my hand, her scales rough and prickly, and warmth spread throughout my body like none I'd ever felt. _I finally found my dragon. No, Axel brought me to my dragon, _I thought. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Axel sitting with a smug look on his face.

"Don't look so proud of yourself," I told him, then looked back at the animal in front of me.

Its pupils were dilated in its calm state, and a loud purr emanated from its throat. The creature opened its mouth and, with a shock that sent me rocketing backwards onto the ground, I heard it speak the words, _"Hello again, new Master,"_ in the voice of what sounded like a girl of eleven or twelve years of age.

_"Wh-what? Did you just talk?"_ I shrieked, scooting away on the ground.

_"Do not look so fearful. Yes, new Master, I can speak, and I see you have ears for us dragons. I sensed it!"_ she said, bragging. _"It's good to see you again, and you look like you've healed."_ By the way she spoke, I could tell this was a young dragon, perhaps less than a year old.

_"H-h-have we m-met?"_ I asked her._ I asked her. Odin I'm actually talking to a dragon._

_"Oh, yes. The sea was rather rough that day, for the rain had churned up the waters and excited them with the spirit of rough play. Those times are my favorite for swimming, but I was tired and was heading home. Then I caught your scent in the water, and I sensed you were… different than other humans. It hit me, you have the sense of mind to see the world through eyes of others. Only creature's like that can understand another's language."_

_"So you were the one who saved me?"_ I asked with a stupidly childish voice. _"And kept me warm when I was on the beach?"_

The dragon nodded, and with a fox's grace, I leaped to my feet and threw my arms around her chest in a great embrace. The dragon seemed startled at first, then curled her neck around my back like Axel sometimes did. _"Thank you,"_ I said softly.

_"Think nothing of it,"_ she said tenderly, before pulling away to look me in the eyes. _"I could tell when I first scented you. You are different than the others. I sensed you could understand us, but I was afraid to reveal myself."_

_"Why?"_ I asked. _"What could a dragon possibly be afraid of?"_

_"Must there be a reason? I have no parents for protection,"_ she said. Sensing my next question, she went on, _"My mum and dad were killed by a Viking on another island. I fled here during the summer, right after it happened."_

This gave me pause for thought. _"I guess we have that in common. Neither of us still have our parents with us."_

I pulled out the flute from my pocket, moving my fingers over the smoothly sanded surface. I brought it to my lips and blew softly while skillfully moving my fingers over the holes to produce a melody I knew would lift me up. It was something my father had often done to make Axel start howling. I blew a low note, rising it up and up until it was semi-high pitched, and Axel howled along with it. It was a spectacle of nature I'd always enjoyed. Then, to my astonishment, the dragon sang with it as well. Her voice rose like the call of the wild wolves, except with it came a slight chirring sound much like a cat's purr. All in all, it was beautiful. It resembled Axel's song so much that I almost couldn't tell the difference. Almost. Her voice was also much louder, sounding quite like an entire pack of wolves howling at once, except it was all the same voice, not individual howls.

_"Wow!"_ I said in awe. I saw how deep her throat was, and I realized this was the source of that great volume. _"Magnificent."_

_"That is how your friend here found me,"_ she pointed a wicked claw towards Axel. _"I was singing one afternoon, about a moon's cycle ago, and I heard the fellow's lovely deep howl join in. He leaped through the bushes, growling at first, then came over and shared a delightfully large walrus I had caught. Ever since then, he's shown up with some delicious snacks like those hares."_

I looked to Axel, and gave him a good pat on the head._ "He's a good boy,"_ I said, then looked back at the dragon. _"What's your name."_

The dragon paused for a moment, then began speaking. _"I don't have one. Most wild dragons have no need for such customs. Some dragons, once reaching one year old, will give themselves a name based on what they've done, who they are, and who their parents are."_

_"So what will I call you, then?"_ I asked.

_"I believe that would be your decision, new Master,"_ she said in an aristocratic tone, which made me laugh a bit.

_"Well, you can call me Klara,"_ I said. The dragon held out her left hand- and it did look quite like the hand, except for the webbing and claws- for me to shake. I raised my left arm, and took her hand, trying to avoid the claws while we shook.

_"I saw a human do that once,"_ she said, then put her hand back on the ground.

Well, this was undoubtedly my choice, as her new Master. There were several instant Viking names for dragons that came to mind, and all were vicious or sly sounding. There was Fireworm, Sharpclaw, Thorntooth, Aligatiger, and Flashfang, just to name a few. I wanted her name to be different. She seemed more… elegant, knowing, aristocratic than other dragons. She had said I was different from other Vikings, and she seemed to be just as special. I needed a unique name, something that spoke of the nobility of her, of her regal bearing. And, suddenly, I had it.

_"Do you like the name, Starsong?"_ I asked, and began to study her for a reaction.

She tilted her head from side to side, as if weighing the possibilities of this name. The _star_ part was for the star-like white spot in between her eyes, and the _song_ part would be for the music she sang. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. _"I would be most honored to be given the name, Starsong."_

_"Okay, Starsong, let's go home,"_ I said, but before I could make a move, I heard a familiar voice gasp from behind me.

"You can speak Dragonese," called Hiccup without much emotion, just the air of awe in his voice. Hiccup approached now, walking straight up next to me. "It's really a rare skill."

"What are you doing here?" I asked with an edge of bitterness. He was interrupting quite a special moment. Or maybe he was about to become part of it.

"We've been looking for you, you know. For the past hour almost, since you entered the forest, we've been looking for you. When you went in, it was like you disappeared," he said, but not really sounding too worried. "I flew Toothless down into the trees, and here I am." He pointed to the woods, where the black form of Toothless sauntered slowly out of the trees.

_"Hello, fellow Firebreather,"_ shouted Toothless in a formal way, and I felt dizzy. I was able to handle one dragon talking to me, but now Toothless was here to add to my confusion. I felt disoriented.

_"Hello, fellow Firebreather,"_ Starsong repeated the greeting. She stood up and the two animals sniffed each other.

"This is perhaps the most rare ability known to man and dragons," marveled Hiccup. "To be able to talk to dragons, it's considered a symbol by my clan, the Haddocks. It's a symbol of unity, of peace."

"_Understanding words unknown_," I said below my breath. "It's part of the Calling."

I felt the urge to take that back. I wanted to run from this… this fate so badly, but the events had already been set in motion. Hiccup looked sympathetic, but we both knew nothing could be done about the situation. It was probably best to just… let things be, for now at least. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep that up forever. If it was something I could change, I would.

I looked back at the dragons, desperate to change the subject. Toothless and Starsong were circling each other, sniffing much like dogs. Toothless sat back on his haunches and made one of his signature roars, but what I heard were words. _"We were wondering when Klara would find her Firebreather comrade."_

_"We?"_ replied Starsong. _"Does my new Master have others?"_

_"You must be new to the island if you do not know of the Masters of Berk, the Vikings. My Master is Hiccup, the boy your new Master is speaking with."_

_"I am new,"_ she said, _"but I have seen these humans, and I approve. I hope to meet these other dragons. I have spent little time with Firebreathers. I need to keep the pack instinct alive."_

"What are they saying?" asked Hiccup suddenly, breaking me from my stupor. He was staring at me, then the dragons, then back to me.

"Nothing really," I replied coolly.

"Okay then. Did you think up a name yet?"

"Yeah," I said. "Starsong. Look at the white star on her forehead," I said, and an unconscious smile formed on my face.

"Some names take time to think of. Some names you come up with immediately, like when I met Toothless," Hiccup walked up to Starsong, who let him run his hands over her head, letting out a groan of pleasure as he did so. "I've never seen a breed of dragon like this. This has to be an undiscovered species. And a very beautiful one at that."

Starsong looked away sheepishly at the complement, but I could tell she enjoyed the comment much like a Nadder would. "Yeah, well, the others are probably worried. We should go. I'll get to fly Starsong for the first time," I said.

"Okay, let's go," Hiccup said, not bothering to say how I shouldn't be flying on my own, because of my arms. Like I would let any of that stop me. Hiccup and I approached our dragons.

_"Our Masters are going to mount us now, and they will ride us back to the village,"_ said Toothless to Starsong, but apparently he didn't really need to. Starsong lowered her head instinctively for me to climb on her. I sat myself at the base of her shoulders, my legs hanging off either side of her neck. Luckily, her back spines on this part of her were spread wide enough apart so I wouldn't need to worry about sitting on top of one.

"Hey, what are we going to do about Axel?" asked Hiccup. "He's not going to fly on the saddle."

"He got here by himself, he can get back by himself. Go on, Axel. Go home!" I commanded, giving him a pat on the head. He immediately ran back into the forest, back in the direction of Berk. "Okay, let's go Starsong!"

She stood and did a short run before taking off into the air. Gravity was insulted by how she flew into the air so easily, much like Stormfly. The take off was somewhat slower than Stormfly, though, considering she was so small. But when we were above the forest level, I let out a laugh of joy at the feeling of the wind in my very being. Astrid and Fishlegs, along with their dragons, hovered above and looked down at us with wide eyes. Toothless reached them first, and I joined them as well a few moments later.

"Hey guys! I made a new friend!" I called to them.

I couldn't tell if the amazed and baffled looks on their faces were for the fact that I'd just inexplicably gotten myself a new dragon in an hour, or because Starsong seemed to be an entirely new species.

"If you think _that's_ weird, you are going to love what we have to tell you!" yelled Hiccup with a laugh. We exchanged a look, then headed back to Berk.

* * *

**(A/N) There you have it! That's Klara's dragon, Starsong. The cover picture is actually supposed to be reminiscent of the night of the storm, but you've got the meaning behind it now. What do you think of the new dragon? What did you think of the whole twist with the Dragonese thing? It's review time!**


	17. Instincts of the Firebreather

**(A/N) Thanks for the reviews last chapter, guys! Oh, and if you're wondering about the "Basilisk" part of the title, don't worry. All shall be revealed in due time, my dear readers. *inserts creepy smile* Nah, it's not really creepy at all, but pretty cool in my opinion.**

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_**Chapter 17 Instincts of the Firebreather**_

Oddly enough, they took the news well. I mean, it's not like they find out one of their friends can speak Dragonese every day. I wouldn't have blamed them if they'd freaked out and told everyone in the village. I thought, at the very least, one of them would pass out from shock. The ability to speak Dragonese has been considered a myth for hundreds of years in the Viking world, and many think of it as a sign of evil.

As it turns out, they weren't as surprised as Hiccup and I thought they would be. Sure, they were all pretty shocked, but they didn't overreact in the least. After getting back home, we gathered Ruff, Tuff, and Snotlout, who were all finished with what was previously occupying their time, and we all took our dragons to the cove, now covered in a thick sheet of ice. Then, Hiccup and I told them all. They regarded this news with intrigue, and Ruff and Tuff deemed it "Awesome!"

Fishlegs had the most excited reaction of all of them. "This is amazing! It's a remarkable step forward in interspecies communication! We have to document this!" he exclaimed for about ten minutes, while the rest just had dumb looks on their faces. I couldn't tell if their vague expressions meant they were still processing what we'd told them, or just that they had no idea what Fishlegs was talking about. Probably both.

So Hiccup and I waited for it all to sink in, and by that time, the sun was sinking towards the western horizon, the sun showing pink in the purple and orange glow cloaking it. Clouds swirled in the sky, showing against the last sunlight of the day to be bright pink, swirling with the light blue of the sky high above the horizon.

"So, you just go in to get your dog, then come out with a new species of dragon. And not only that, but you can talk to it?" said Astrid after Fishlegs quieted down.

We all looked toward the other side of the cove, where our dragons had just clustered together. Starsong was politely submissive while meeting the other dragon, then straightened back to her regal height after the introduction.

"Basically, yes," Hiccup replied. "It's… uh…" Hiccup stopped himself, looking at me with a question written in his features. _What should I tell them?_

"It's part of the prophecy!" I blurted out, earning me a few stares. They had been told about the Calling, but I didn't think they really believed it. At least, they acted like they didn't.

"Well, that explains that," said Snotlout sarcastically.

"That's the only explanation," Hiccup pointed out, then went quiet, and the conversation ended there.

We stood there in silence, watching the sun work its way below the horizon while twilight began its short reign over the world. I'd always loved the beauty of this time of day, but the awkward quiet of my friends ruined that, as well as the fact that I wasn't exactly explaining the situation very well. Eventually, we just hopped on our dragons and left for the village. _My dragon_. I had finally found my dragon.

* * *

_"So, those are your friends?"_ asked Starsong as the first stars began to dot the indigo skies and we landed in the village.

_"Yes,"_ I answered with a sigh._ "An odd bunch, but their hearts are in the right place."_

_"The Firebreathers are all quite polite, although Hookfang seems a bit arrogant. Also, I can tell that Barf and Belch don't quite match those clutch mates very well in terms of intelligence. A bit too intellectual for the twins,"_ Starsong went on.

The group exchanged glances, then split off to our separate homes. Starsong and I walked side-by-side behind Astrid and Stormfly back to the Hofferson home. Every now and then, Astrid would take a sharp peek back at us, then swiftly averted her eyes when she found that I had seen it.

_"Meatlug tells me that I'll be comfortable in the village, and Stormfly says I'll be sleeping with her outside, under the stars, just how I like it."_ Stormfly, up ahead, clicked her tail spines in agreement.

_"Yes, and there will be troughs filled with fish for all the dragons. There are fishermen out all hours catching plenty for you all to eat from,"_ I told her, and in reply I heard a slight growl.

_"No, no, no! That shall not do! I am an aristocrat, and shall hunt for myself! Besides, I find fish to be too common a meal. I prefer walrus and orca,"_ she said dreamily, licking her chops. I had to smile.

_"Good, because as soon as my arm is healed, you and I are going to be hunting a lot. In the meantime, just be sure to bring back the tusks from any walrus you catch,"_ I told her. _"Vikings use the tusks to make things. Besides, it's an awful thing to waste any part of an animal you kill."_

_"You are such a goody-goody!"_ said Starsong, revealing her sarcasm and nudging me affectionately. She then letting out a long yawn, revealing a set of teeth that were unusually small for a dragon._ "Time to bed down for the night,"_ she whispered as we approached the small roof under which Stormfly always slept.

Astrid and I stood together, watching the two dragons curl up next to each other, their three eyelids closing and their breathing slowing. Astrid threw a punch at my right shoulder, and I yelped in surprise. Astrid wore a bright smile, which I mimicked with a light laugh.

"Mom and Dad are sure going to be surprised when they hear about Starsong," said Astrid, gazing at the two dragons together. "Yes, they certainly will be surprised. Shocked even, having never seen a dragon like her before."

I stood there, sensing there was something else on her mind. The girl strode towards her dragon, laying a hand on her crystal blue scales that matched her eyes in color. Stormfly lifted a sleepy head, gazing deeply at her friend. I stood behind them, feeling I would be interrupting something if I so much as stood next to them. Stormfly let out a few grunts and growls.

"What is she saying?" Astrid asked in wonder, looking back into the Nadder's pure gold eyes. Both blinked, then Stormfly began to speak.

_"I am yours and you are mine, Astrid. We are part of each other, my Master,"_ Stormfly whispered, nuzzling Astrid.

Astrid looked at me, and I smiled at her. With that her face lit up, understanding what my smile meant. "One and the same, you two are each other's."

With that, we went inside and began to tell Kelda and Randolf of the day's events.

* * *

_"Stormfly, what are the Vikings here like?"_ Starsong asked after the girls had gone inside.

_"They used to be quite horrible, but then Hiccup and my Master killed the Red Death, and after that we made an alliance. We hunt with them, let them ride us, and be there friends, and they'll protect us and be our friends. Not to mention feed us more than we could ever eat,"_ Stormfly let out a purr at this, then went on. _"During the battle, Toothless saved Hiccup from certain death, which was what made the men want to become our Masters."_

Starsong looked up at the Viking village, seeing their giant dens and looking on in wonder at all their odd creations. Trees nailed together to make things that float in the water, plus the stone-like troughs a Terrible Terror now flew towards for fish, and then at the top of a cliff was a great big form that sparkled in the star and moonlight, in the form of a man holding up his hand towards the sea. All were man-made, and Starsong knew these humans must be very odd creatures indeed to have the need for such contraptions.

_"Mum and Dad used to warn me of the Red Death, and to never approach a Seadragonous Giganticus Maximus. However, they also told me to never go near a human,"_ Starsong said, looking down. She felt somewhat guilty for going against the laws of nature her parents had so enforced on her. With it was a sharp pain of longing for them, exactly what she felt every time the thought of her mum and dad came to mind.

_"Why did you let one go near you, then?"_ asked Stormfly in a knowing fashion. Stormfly seemed to already know what her answer would be, but she said it anyway.

_"Because something drew me to her, like I was supposed to be with her. It was as if it was engraved into my very nature,"_ she began, and Stormfly put her head back down, assuming that was all Starsong was about to say._ "And yet…"_ Starsong's voice wandered off.

_"What?"_ asked the Nadder suddenly, picking her head back up._ "What else could there possibly be?"_

_"There's something about Klara. Her scent frightens me, reminds me of something that I can't quite bring to mind."_ Stormfly gave her an odd look.

_"The imagination of a juvenile. You also aren't quite used to humans. A human's scent frightens most creatures, even Firebreathers. You have nothing to worry about, kid,"_ she said, laying back down. _"Think how lucky you are. You are quite young to be deemed a riding dragon. You have a great new Master, one that you'll stand beside for the rest of your lives. And right now, she needs you."_

_"They must always need the help of dragons. We are so strong, so quick, so agile. Why is now any more urgent?"_

_"Because, she is healing after a great loss. Not only has she recently lost part of her arm. She, her hatchling cousin, and the wolf dog are the only ones left after her village was killed,"_ replied Stormfly before falling into a deep sleep.

At that moment, the dog hopped out of the woods at a run, leaping into the two dragons' den and curling up next to Starsong, still panting. Starsong allowed this, for she was still thinking about the girl's scent that filled her nostrils. It was prickling fear inside her, and she was not willing to dismiss this as just her imagination. Her parents had taught her better than to ignore her instincts.

Before closing her third eyelid, which signaled her falling asleep, Starsong caught the quick movement of the skinny boy with the dark auburn hair, who she had been told was Hiccup. The boy moved silently into one of the buildings, one that smelled of ash and stone, and radiated a thick heat. He didn't notice the dragon looking him over, and she sensed a thick excitement coming from the boy. His sea green eyes flashed in her direction, not quite looking at Starsong, but rather past both of the dragons, and locked sights on the human den where Astrid and Klara had gone in. The smile on his face shown bright in the darkness, and those green eyes reminded Starsong of her own, for they were the exact same shade. Those eyes held a nervousness that Starsong didn't understand, but she accepted it as one of the many odd thing she was learning about humans.

* * *

**(A/N) So, what do you think it is about Klara that scares Starsong? Got any predictions? All shall be revealed in due time my pretties! (To use a Wizard of Oz expression).**


	18. The Sight Unfolds

**(A/N) Today was my last day of school, and my last day of exams. I'm feeling confident I did well on most of them, so to celebrate, I'm posting this chapter early. Enjoy!**

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**_Chapter 18 The Sight Unfolds_**

Three days later, and my arm was finally healed. Both of them, actually. My broken arm had been taken out of it's cast, and Eira deemed my stub to be completely healed after the surgery. So, I was now strapping the saddle Gobber made onto Starsong's shoulders.

_"Ooh! That man crafted a very nice saddle. It's so soft!"_ exclaimed Starsong as I secured it.

_"It better be. I traded him both of those walrus tusks you brought me yesterday for this piece of leather,"_ I said, laughing. _"For that offer, he threw in a couple of saddlebags._"

_"Why do you need a saddle to ride? I am a great flyer, and it should be easy enough without one,"_ Starsong said with mock indignation. I decided to explain anyway.

_"It helps to keep a rider solid on their dragon, and, like you said, it's far more comfortable. Besides, it helps to carry things with me. I just hope it will be fully adjustable for when you're fully grown,"_ I said, then something came to mind. _"How big are you going to get?"_

Starsong tilted her head back and forth, thinking about this. _"Bigger than Toothless, but smaller than Hookfang. At least, I think that's how big. My breed, especially my family line, tends to be a bit diverse in this area. Mum and Dad told me that those like me, ones with the royal purple hide, grow to be the size of a Zippleback."_

_"Interesting,"_ I said, zoning out a bit. _"Okay, let's go!"_ I exclaimed, hopping onto her back, and after a running start, she took off into the air.

There was the familiar rush as the earth dove away from us, then we were airborne. I would die before I stopped loving that feeling. It was like happiness flushing into your body. Although now it was harder to fly, with only one hand to keep me steady, but I've started to get used to it. Every now and then, though, I had a mysterious aching in the area where my arm used to be, and it very much freaked me out.

_"So, where is the best spot to catch some dinner?"_ I asked Starsong. _"I'd like to get enough to trade for some Snoggletog gifts."_

_"What in the name of Draco is Snoggletog?"_ asked the dragon in disbelief. _"It sounds like something a Terrible Terror would eat, then spit back up!"_ Starsong shook the thought off as we flew over the forests.

_"It's a holiday,"_ I responded, but Starsong only gave me a bewildered look. _"Sorry, a holiday is a day humans celebrate. We get together, either with friends or family, and have food and exchange gifts and put up decorations. Snoggletog is in two weeks."_

_"So that's why I scented excitement on the villagers. They've nailed up brightly colored pieces of tree- wood- and painted things, and that is the cause?"_ she asked, to which I gave a nod. _"Quite hectic, though."_

_"The Chief, Stoick, has been gone on a trip to a neighboring island,"_ I told her. "_He's usually in charge of it, I guess. No one really knows what to do unless they are being directed. Without Stoick here, it's all disorganized. That's also why you haven't seen Stoick, because he's away."_

Starsong had been greeted by all of the important people of the village - Gobber, Spitelout, and the elders mostly- mainly because she was an unknown species. They had all congratulated me on my fine dragon, and during their complements I had watched Starsong continue to stand taller and taller with pride. She had turned out to be a terrific snob. She continued to tell me about her lineage to me during that, while the others were only hearing grunts and growls. She had said that her royal purple and brilliant green scales were the mark of her noble line, that her parents had been very high ranking. I let her go on, even though it was a bit annoying with her superior tone, because I could tell she wasn't lying.

After this, the group and I had given Starsong tests to determine what to write in the Book of Dragons. However, we had yet to come up with a name for the species. So far, we had determined that Starsong is a Tidal Class dragon, something made immediately clear yesterday, when she had completely failed at hunting on land, with her clumsy maneuvering in the forests. After that, she took me hunting over the ocean, and in less than five minutes come up with a large seal, which she had merely plucked from the sea with her sharp claws that hooked into the animal. She was also quick and stealthy as a swimmer. Her wingspan turned out to be slightly smaller than the Night Fury when compared to her body size. She, like most dragons, was terrified of the eels. Her front claws were razor-sharp and sturdy, but the back claws were relatively dull. She had smaller teeth than most dragons, none of them jutting out like it does for nearly every species.

However, there was one feat that Starsong had done that was quite impressive, and I witnessed it on that same hunting trip. She had just finished a victory song after she caught the seal, but apparently wanted to do something more for a finale. She let burst forth a long stream of fire, but this was no ordinary fire. It was colored, the same colors as her scales. Royal purple turned bright in the flames, with swirls of green. She got high ratings for that one under fire-power.

These thoughts came to mind as we rode toward the beach, near a rocky inlet where the waves crashed against the sharp boulders in loud intervals. These black rocks were covered with brown dots clustered close together.

_"Walrus,"_ said Starsong, licking her chops. _"My favorite."_

I rolled my eyes, holding onto the saddle as the dragon began to dive towards the sea. Turning quickly, she flew out to sea for a few hundred yards, then swooped in from the direction of the ocean, thus cutting off the escape for the walruses. We landed on the beach, Starsong carrying the dead walrus in her front claws.

_"Good job,"_ I praised.

_"Please, I was marvelous, Master,"_ she said in her vain fashion, but I could tell she was just teasing. _"Before we go back, I do have some of those tusks back in the field."_

I turned around, surprised to see we were back at the beach where I had found Starsong. Then again, it made sense. She knew these waters, knew the best places for a meal. _"How long were you living here for?"_ I asked, looking at the tusks scattered about everywhere. Either she had been eating a lot of walruses, or she was just messy.

_"A few months, since the summer,"_ she answered as I began to pick up the tusks. Some were broken, a few were chipped, but all were valuable to traders. With any luck, I'd have enough money from these to buy Kelda and Randolf the gift I was planning for them. Plus anything extra.

I was ecstatic, for I was now carrying twenty large tusks cradled in my arm back to Starsong, dropping them into the saddlebags.

_"By the way, you said something about _Draco_ when I told you about Snoggletog. Who's _Draco_?"_ I asked her.

_"Oh, Draco is a spirit, known as the first Firebreather. After his death, he was whisked to heaven, where he watches over the dragons and protects newborn hatchlings,"_ she told me. _"Somewhat like your Gods."_

We were about to bring the walrus and the tusks back to the village when Starsong suddenly straightened up. _"What is it?"_ I asked intently. Her hard green eyes were staring out to sea, and I registered the fact that the tide had gone out.

And all of a sudden, Starsong turned towards the wind and took off into the air. Quick to get to my feet, I was sprinting after her, down the white sand beach, to the edge of the water. Her figure shown dark against the bright gray sky, as she soared somewhat slowly over the waters. She maneuvered in the air, swirling downward toward the ocean and I thought that she was just going to dive in. That appeared to be what she was doing, until she moved to glide over the water, parallel to it, coming swiftly back in my direction. I could see the wave forming beneath her, not sure if she had caused it from the movement of air she was making, or if it was just the tides. Starsong flew right in front of the wave, and then something happened. She loosened up. She flowed with the water, as a terrific sound that was half roar and half singing rose from her throat. Her enormous back feet came down, she folded her wings back, and landed on the water. Except she didn't go under, she began running. Her back feet hit the water as she came in with blinding speed, actually running on top of the water.

My dragon was running on water.

Well, now I knew why her back feet were so big and her hind legs so long and strong, but it didn't dampen my amazement. It didn't last though, and as she neared the beach, she broke through the surface of the water and simply used the momentum to shoot towards the beach underwater, darting up it like an arrow. Her eyes turned toward me, breaking from her trance.

_"And that's what my breed is known for,"_ she whispered in a far away tone, as if she wasn't completely back to reality.

I couldn't speak for a moment, feeling as though I had just witnessed something… sacred. To walk on water, that was something only Gods were supposed to be able to do. I tried to piece together what had just happened. The tide went out, and Starsong seemed to be overtaken by some urge. As the wave formed, she aided it with the air suction created by her flight, and she let her feet down, pinning her wings against her body. She began running.

_"Would you please explain to me what just happened?"_ I said in awe.

_"You saw it yourself, you know why I did that. I was happy, I was with the water. That is what my breed does, especially when happy. Somewhat like a human's dance."_

Suddenly, Starsong seemed older, wiser. She seemed more mature after what she had just done. However, all I could do was hop on the saddle. _"C'mon bud, let's get back."_

Picking up the walrus, Starsong lifted into the air, and we headed in the direction of town. We arrived, but all I could think about was the amazing thing that had just happened. Really, everything the dragons did was amazing. How could I have hated them? How could I have been so foolish? Mount Cove had been wrong, wrong to hate the dragons, wrong to fear them. But beyond that, I knew what I had witnessed was something very few people, if any, have ever seen. I was given something ancient. The question was, why me?

* * *

I stashed the tusks under my bed, then headed over to Gobber's shop. He had told me this morning I could borrow a spare prosthetic, one with a carving knife on it. I would need this, for most of my Snoggletog gifts, I would be carving myself.

The meat from the walrus was given to the men to butcher, and then some women later would get to work preserving it. I had made sure to get the tusks first, and Starsong was given a hefty chunk of the meat before she left to wander the village on her own. I took Axel with me towards the edge of the woods, sitting myself on the snowy log where I had last left the wood I had chosen to carve. It was some soft pine wood. Axel hopped on the log next to me, nudging my shoulder for some petting.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you the past few days," I said affectionately, scratching his neck in a playful manner while he licked me in the face. "Good boy," I whispered, then strapped on the prosthetic and began to work.

It was slow going at first, as I was not used to carving with a prosthetic, but I had always been a natural-born carver, just like most people in my family. In two hours, I was done with my first carving, a hand-sized fox for Hiccup. I was planning to make one for everyone. Astrid's would be a goshawk, a swift hawk. Snotlout's would be a bull elk. Ruff and Tuff would be getting two bear cubs. Fishlegs would get an orca. And, last but not least, Kelda and Randolf would get a statue of two wolves that I was sure would take me most of my time, given I wanted this statue to be finely carved.

I had tried to match each person to an animal that would best represent them. Snotlout, like the bull elk, was not afraid to fight, and was quite fit, but also would rush blindly in sometimes. A goshawk is known as the most ferocious defender of its nest of any bird of prey, and judging by what everyone told me and I had experienced, that fit Astrid as a description of her own actions. Bear cubs would play fight, wrestle, and chase each other for all hours in preparation for when they were older and had to win actual fights, and this seemed to be how Ruff and Tuff justified their fights. Orcas are intelligent and strategic, just like Fishlegs. The fox is also intelligent, and relies on this intelligence to survive due to its small size, as well as its lightning fast reflexes and speed. I had seen Hiccup run in the woods, and he was actually faster than any other of the teenagers, as long as he didn't have to carry anything.

The last carving, the wolves, had the most meaning to me. Two wolves singing their song together symbolizes an unbreakable love between two individuals, a bond that death may not even be able to break.

However, there were still two gifts that I had yet to figure out. One would be for the chief, Stoick, because of his kindness to me over the past few weeks when I needed it most. The other would be for my baby cousin, Erik. That's part of the reason why I was so glad to have the tusks. Mulch and Bucket had told me early this morning that trader Johann was supposed to arrive within the next week. In fact, he had actually sent a hawk to deliver this message, and it said that he would have many more items for sale or trade because of the holiday coming up.

Johann had been to Mount Cove a few times over the years, and he had always been happy to trade with my family especially. We carved statues and charms in our free time, as gifts, toys for the village children, and to trade. They fetched a pretty price. One time, I had traded one of my best pieces, a seal I had watched for hours slumbering on the beach, for a valuable book on the plants and animals of the region. I had finished reading that book, which was as thick as my fist, in two days, then used the knowledge when hunting and gathering. Johann was also very good with his trades with the other villagers. Most people of Mount Cove, since there was hardly any land to farm, lived by fishing hunting, and saved the fur for Johann. In return, the villagers got fine cloths we could not get here, exceptional weapons and tools, as well as anything else.

I continued with the carvings, and by the time the sun was setting over the horizon, turning the sky golden and pink, I had finished the second one, the elk. It had taken more concentration for this one, because I had to get the antlers just right and it was slow work because the prosthetic kept shaking. In fact, I had been so enthralled with the work that when I looked up, I blinked in surprise, seeing the stars beginning to dot the sky. Axel had stayed next to me the entire time, not budging. He looked up at me when I stared at him, seeming to ask with those intelligent eyes of his, _Well, you didn't think I'd leave you, did you?_

"Good boy," I whispered, stroking his thick fur. "You really are a good boy, you know," I told him, and he began to lick my hand.

My dog, my best friend, and the one who has brought me to this point in my life. He gave me a name at Mount Cove as a successful young girl, accompanied me on my way towards this new island, and helped me to make a name for myself here as well. He guided me towards my dragon, and now, I can tell, he feels no greater pleasure than to accompany me on my journey. It's a good feeling, for the both of us.

* * *

**(A/N) You guys probably hate me for not answering your questions right away... too bad. You'll get answers. Hold your buns. Haha, joking, but don't worry. In the meantime, go do... whatever. Oh, and by the way, did anyone catch the connection this chapter has to the prophecy? Extra points to those who do. Person with the most points wins a smile :)**


	19. Stoick's Return

_**Chapter 19 Stoick's Return**_

I was finished, at least with the carvings, and just in time for the chief to be arriving home two days later. I had looked over each wooden statue I had made, deciding I could not possibly add any more details to it. The goshawk showed each individual feather, and the elk's antlers bore scratches from supposed battles. The orca I had painted black and white the make it look authentic, and the bears had ruff bodies to look like fur. The fox was slender with perked ears, and the wolves showed joy in their stance, while one wolf howled as the other licked its face. Some of my best work, I deemed it.

I was excited, riding Starsong towards the docks, with Axel following below me on the ground, yipping in excitement. He seemed keen on staying with me all the time, as if I'd forget about him altogether now that I have a dragon. However, he was soon lost in the crowd coming down to the water to greet the chief. I wasn't worried, he'd catch up to us in few minutes. Maybe he'd stop worrying so much in the meantime.

The others were waiting for me, already at the dock standing beside their dragons. Ruff and Tuff were, as usual, at war, and Barf and Belch was as well. Snotlout was leaning back on Hookfang like he didn't want to be there. Hookfang, though, was enthralled by a small fish that was swimming in circles beside the dock. In fact, the Monstrous Nightmare now moved suddenly to get a better look at it, causing Snotlout to fall to the ground. Fishlegs was stroking Meatlug's head calmly. Starsong walked down the dock and I hopped off, standing beside Astrid and Hiccup.

"Hey guys," I greeted them. "When's he supposed to get here?"

"Shouldn't be long now," Hiccup replied vaguely, looking out across the water, before turning back to me. "I'm not looking forward to going back to his cooking, though." I laughed lightly, but it seemed as though something else was occupying his mind. Astrid, too, seemed troubled by his anxious behavior.

"What's wrong," I asked him. "Is something bothering you? You, seem nervous."

Hiccup's eyes darted between Astrid and me, but we didn't relent. With a sigh, he began to speak with a hushed whisper. "Dad's worried. He went to the neighboring islands because he got news that there have been attacks. All were by Outcasts."

A shock of fear and pain surged through me, the bodies of my people lying everywhere coming to mind. Some had knifes or swords in their backs, a few sported axes wedged in between ribs, and all were bled white. I remembered Ida, laying pale on the ground, with a spear embedded in her stomach up to the shaft. She looked like she could have been sleeping their in the blood-soaked grass, lying so still. I blinked rapidly so tears would not spill. However, both Hiccup and Astrid saw it.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," he said, his eyes downcast. I wouldn't have it.

"No, it's okay. If there's anything I can do to prevent another tragedy, then I want you to tell me all about this," I said firmly, though the pain of those memories still burned hot in my mind.

"Well, I don't really know that much. Dad went to the islands to see if they've been attacked, and to set up alliances. That way, maybe we'll be able to protect each other," Hiccup continued.

"Well, what can we do?" asked Astrid intently. "I mean, it's not like we can just sit around here doing nothing! We've been trained to be warriors," she exclaimed. "Were you trained, Klara?"

"Yeah, I was trained since I was seven to use weapons, mainly the sword for fighting. My friend Ida and I were the only teenagers pretty much, so we were trained even harder. Ida was quite skilled with the battle axe…" I said, but my voice fell away. "We could be very useful in a fight," I said aloud, catching the attention of the others, who then joined our huddle.

"Oooh! I heard something about fighting, and I want in!" exclaimed Tuffnut, pounding a fist into his hand.

"Yeah! That would be awesome!" added Ruff. She slugged her brother over the shoulder.

"I was born a warrior!" boasted Snotlout, while Fishlegs stayed quiet. Fishlegs didn't seem too keen on the idea, but didn't quite shy away from it either.

To be honest, I didn't like the idea of going to war or fighting either, but I wouldn't back down from it. Mum had once told me that war, no matter how justified, no matter how necessary, is always a crime. I knew she was right then just as I know now, but it won't stop the fact that war happens.

"We're not at war yet, but if the Outcasts continue the attacks, we may have no choice," said Hiccup solemnly. Tuff, Ruff, and Lout were still jumping with excitement. Normally, I wouldn't care too much, but this only infuriated me.

"You haven't seen the effects of war," I spat at them, which gained me a few stares. Snotlout was looking at me with this _What did I do?_ face. I didn't care, though. "Just feel lucky you've never seen a child laying dead on the ground in his own blood, a knife in his chest. You've never watched your mother die in your hands, or see your father happy and cheerful then come home to find him dead."

"Klara," said Astrid, putting a hand on my shoulder. "They didn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah, I didn't want to offend you or anything like that," Snotlout said.

Everyone was staring at me from my outburst. I didn't get it. Why was I suddenly the criminal? I had to make my point clear, so I kept going.

"I don't know about you," I began in a hoarse voice, quiet with sadness, "but I'm not ready to see another one of my friends die. You just don't know what that's like."

Snotlout was shocked speechless. Good, that was what I was aiming for. At least he understood what fighting meant. You fight because you have to, but you should never want there to be a war for you to fight in.

Suddenly, we heard the distant flapping sound that signaled a dragon's imminent approach. Then there was the signature roar of a Thunderdrum, confirming it was the arrival of Stoick and his dragon Thornado. Indeed, in less than a minute, the chief landed on the docks, his face somber. He quickly tried to look excited and happy to be back, but I saw his cover up, and so did the rest of our group.

"Hello, Hiccup!" the man called to his son, who smiled. "So, how have you all been doing in my absence?" he boomed to the villagers.

Gobber and Spitelout stepped forward, greeting the chief with firm handshakes. "Everything has been well, Stoick," said Gobber. "We've begun to decorate for Snoggletog, and we've stored up a bit more food. One of our young hunters brought a fine walrus two days ago," he said, giving me a sideways glance as they walked past us.

"Good, good!" Stoick exclaimed. "And I'm happy to see I haven't missed the departure of the dragons. We must be prepared for their absence," he said vaguely.

"How was your trip?" asked Spitelout. "How have our neighbors been fairing?"

"We'll have time to talk about that later," he said, then turned to all of the villagers. "Tonight we will have a village meeting, where I will inform all of you of what I have learned."

At this, the crowd began to leave, including Gobber and Spitelout, and I was delighted to finally hear the barking that signaled Axel. Without all the people, he was finally able to slip through the crowd. Standing by my side, Starsong gave him an affectionate nudge, and he licked her in return.

Stoick turned around to look at us, his eyes widening when he saw my dragon. I saw the flicker of emotion coming across his face. His eyes weren't widening in surprise that I had a new dragon, but at something else.

"Hello, kids," he began slowly. "I see Klara has a new dragon." I nodded, not quite sure what was happening. "Where did you find this dragon?"

I looked at the man. He didn't show fear or anything like that, but he seemed to be trying to piece something together. "Near the beach, at the edge of the forest," I answered, but he continued to stare. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. "Is everything all right, sir?" I asked, and he seemed to snap out of it.

"Yes. Klara, would you come with me for a moment?" he asked. Bewildered, I just nodded. Hiccup started to follow us as we walked away, but Stoick raised his hand to stop him. "Stay here, son. I have to talk to Klara."

So we left them, their faces just as confused as mine. I didn't ask him any questions, and he didn't object to Axel and Starsong following close behind us. Reaching the chief's house, he stepped inside, allowing us in after him.

"Am I in trouble or something?" I asked tentatively.

"No, it's not that. It's about your dragon…" he said, trailing off.

"What about her?" I asked, realizing she was listening intently as well. I didn't know if she would understand the man's words, but she could sense this was about her.

"Klara, I used to be good friends with your uncle, the chief of Mount Cove, and your father. When we were kids and I went to your village with my father, we would spend every hour of everyday together. Over the summer, Chief Arn sent me a letter by way of hawk."

I listened to him get into his story, wondering where this was going and what it could possibly have anything to do with Starsong. He began his tale, speaking with sadness, not joy, nor happiness, or anything that would foreshadow anything but a despicable end to the story. But I knew it wasn't just a story. This was real life. And a real memory. This actually happened.


	20. Secret of the Wavewalker

**(A/N) You might hate me after this chapter, or you might love me. Many of the questions are answered in this chapter, so that's one thing to look forward to. You still might hate me, though. Sorry.**

* * *

_**Chapter 20 Secret of the Wavewalker**_

"Hello, Arn!" called Stoick after the man who was waiting at the docks. Stoick landed his Thunderdrum dragon, much to the shock of the man waiting on the docks.

Oddly enough, the man didn't reel back in horror, or draw his sword from his sheath in attack. He just stood, wide-eyed, and of all things, smiling. This had not been expected. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if Arn had not only killed Thornado, but also tried to do the same to Stoick himself, for bringing a dragon to his island.

This made things all the more interesting. He had gotten the note from the hawk only a few hours ago, and had sent the bird straight back with his reply that he would be there before the day was out. The note he had gotten hadn't said anything more than that Chief Arn needed to see Chief Stoick. Now, if Arn was not alarmed upon seeing a dragon, Stoick knew he had much to tell him.

Stoick had his dragon leave the docks, fearing the villagers would spot Thornado and attack him. Obliging, the icy blue creature lifted silently into the air, sailing off towards distant cliffs. Now, Stoick turned towards his friend, who gestured for him to follow.

The two men made their way toward the village, up to a house sitting beside the large structure Stoick knew belonged to Arn as the chief. Arn knocked lightly on the door, barely loud enough for anyone inside to hear it, and soon the door opened with a great creaking noise. Stoick recognized the man inside. Indeed, he had known him and Arn since they were but boys and would visit each other's islands with their fathers while the older men were at their meetings. They had been good friends since then, and Stoick had always made a point of visiting the two men at least a few times yearly. The man in the doorway was known as Sven the True, younger brother and second-in-command to the tribe. A large gray dog sat at his heals, tail wagging.

The man locked eyes with Stoick and smiled brightly, giving him a firm handshake. "It's good to see you Stoick!" he said. The dog hopped up on Stoick, attempting to lick his face though it was obviously out of reach. "Down! Axel, down!" commanded Sven.

"Hello Sven," Stoick replied just as happily. "How've you been?"

"Fine, fine," he said, then looked at his brother's serious look. "What brings ye here Stoick?" he asked, still staring at Arn.

"Arn sent a hawk for me-" Stoick began, but was cut off.

"Yes, and I have something I need to speak with the both of you about, in private," Arn spoke quickly. Sven stepped out of his home, ready to find out what this was all about.

Strangely, Arn did not lead them into his home or into a meeting hall, but instead headed toward the forest. Stoick and Sven exchanged glances, then followed Arn into the woods, Axel bounding along after them. The forest was dark and damp due to the previous rains and hail of the summer months. Shadows painted the ground, and the sun was hidden behind thick gray clouds.

"Arn, what are ye takin' us out here for?" asked Sven in mild annoyance. Axel yipped, as if agreeing with the man.

"Shhh, quiet. I'll explain it all when we get there. For now, we cannot make a sound," he said urgently.

Stoick was getting quite irritated by this point. If the man had sent for him, and he had flown all the way here for hours, then Stoick believed he deserved a few answers. However, he respected Arn in this regard. He would not question further, for Arn had always been an honorable man. Sure as he was alive, Stoick knew Arn had a good reason for bringing him here.

They continued through the woods, going over rocky terrain and crossing many streams and brooks, presumably getting closer to their destination. Judging by Arn's ever-growing anxiety, they were nearing the place he was taking them. Finally, the woods began to thin slightly, and Stoick could see the line of trees ending in the distance, giving way to a luxurious green field.

They stepped into the meadow, seeing bright purple, white, yellow, and orange dotting the green grass in the form of the summer flowers. But this was not the sight that had caught the attention of the three men. In the middle of the clearing, laying in piles of dried grass and shed scales, were two dragons with royal purple scales, light green swirling through their wings and on crests over their heads. They had small, webbed front feet with wicked curved claws, and enormous back legs and feet. The tails were long and flat like an eel's, and the wings were enormous. The bodies of these two were rough looking in texture. Judging by the size, the large one was a male, who had eyes the color of pine. The small one was probably a female, who had amber eyes. However, both were about the size of a Zippleback. Both dragons stood to their feet, alarm showing in their posture. Axel let out a low growl of warning, baring his bright white canines.

"Dragons!" yelled Sven in fear.

"No, no! Don't be afraid, they'll not harm you," Arn said, raising a hand to his brother's shoulder. "Axel, heal!" commanded the man. Axel, with some hesitation, stopped growling, but remained tense.

"What are you doing with dragons?" asked Stoick, approaching the pair. He surmised they were a mated pair, a male and a female who would remain together for life. They allowed him to approach, seeing he had no weapons on him.

Stoick raised a hand to stroke the snout of the female, who purred in response. He turned, only to see Sven staring at him in horror. "Stoick, what are ye doin'?"

"I… I have a dragon of my own. A Thunderdrum, by the name of Thornado. On Berk, having dragons has now become a common practice, and they've turned out to be quite docile creatures. Hiccup, my son, showed us how to train them. He himself is the owner of a Night Fury," Stoick responded, unable to stop himself.

Sven just stood there, speechless, while Arn came forward and began to pet the male. "I found them here, just after Snoggletog, with a small baby dragon with them. She was awkward, but playful. I was about to kill the lot of them, when the small babe pounced onto my shoulders, licking me in the face like a pup," Arn spoke with a smile. "The parents wouldn't attack me, not with their hatchling on me."

Arn reached to stroke the male's snout, and the creature grunted with pleasure. The female nudged Arn for the same, which he gladly gave her. Axel, seeing the men so calm with the dragons, trotted forward, and he and the two reptiles exchanged polite sniffing.

"After that, I came here everyday for a week. Then, at the end of the week, they had all disappeared. I came by here for weeks, and finally they returned, but without the baby. She must have died," he said, his voice solemn. "The parents came back here when I whistled, and I came to be friends with them. I knew they were a new species, so I thought and thought about what they should be called."

Stoick waited for an answer. "What did you decide on?" he asked.

"Well, they appeared to be very good in the water, so I decided on calling them Basilisks. Legend says the Basilisk creature was among the best swimmers ever," he said.

Stoick stood there, thinking a bit about the name his friend had given to this new species. Yes, it seemed appropriate, considering these animals looked sleek, stealthy, and had those piercing eyes that the Basilisk has in all of the legends of the Viking culture. Yet these animals were quite docile, accepting, and not as aggressive as other dragon species can be, especially to strangers. Then another thought came to mind.

"Have you named them?" he asked. "Have you named them as individual dragons?"

"Actually, yes," he said, looking at the male. "You see how they have thorny scales. They're not sharp enough to cut you or anything, but I've seen them swim in the water. The water slips over the scales, and it seems to make them faster. So I named the male, Thornwolf."

He paused, then looked over at the female. She purred at his presence. Then, in a gesture that seemed to calm the atmosphere, she let out a light, mellifluous roar that was really more like singing. Arn's grin grew wider. "And that's why I named _her_ Melody."

They all stood there. Sven had not yet moved from his spot, and stayed silent. Arn looked at them nervously, while Stoick only smiled in obvious approval. At least he wasn't the _only_ chief to be smitten with the dragons. He had suffered ridiculing from nearly every chief. At meetings, he would often be cast off, not able to put in his views, and therefore other tribes had not signed alliance treaties or pacts of any kind. Stoick had begun to fear this dragon business would begin to endanger his people. They had very little protection, and now there were only a couple neighboring islands who were his allies. He wouldn't get rid of the dragons, after his own son had lost his leg trying to make it possible for the Vikings and dragons to be friends, and they helped with fishing and hunting quite a bit. He wasn't going to lie though. They caused a lot of trouble.

Suddenly, Stoick and Arn looked back simultaneously, both noticing something that was amiss. Sven was gone, nowhere in sight. The two men looked to each other, nodded, and ran into the woods, Axel close behind.

* * *

"Sven! Where are ye?!" called Arn, worry written across his face.

Both knew the consequences of Sven telling any villagers about the supposed treachery of the chiefs. They would be dethroned, tied to a mass and shipped off, or possibly just be killed on the spot. And yet, Stoick had a hard time believing that Sven would do such a thing to his own brother and good friend.

"Sven!" boomed Stoick. And, with much relief, both of them heard an answer, faint over the eerie sound of the wind.

"What?!" yelled Arn, unable to hear his brother.

"I said, I'm over here!" came Sven, louder this time. He didn't sound angry at all, putting Stoick's and Arn's fears to rest.

They followed the sound quite easily to a fallen log, hollowed out with time. Axel seated himself at his master's feet, while Stoick and Arn sat on either side of him. They stayed silent for a moment, perhaps considering what would be said, or maybe just to take in all they had seen today. Finally, Arn spoke.

"Thought you were goin' to tell the village," he said. Sven just laughed at this.

"You think I'd give ye up to a bunch'a fools? What kind of a brother do ye think I am? What kind of a person do ye think I am?" Sven said, portraying no feeling of betrayal, but just laughing while he said it.

"Well, then what were ye doin' then? Why did ye just leave?" Stoick said with mild accusation.

"I wanted to think about what Arn had just shown us, and I didn't think that was the best place for it," Sven began. "Arn, you hate the dragons! You've killed many dragons before last Snoggletog, and then ye just go an' get a couple o' pet dragons?"

Arn sighed. "I've acted like I hate dragons since then, and I will continue this."

"The dragons are really quite useful, especially with getting food, if only your people could embrace them," Stoick said encouragingly.

"Both of you know how I love nature. I've killed many dragons, simply to protect my family, but if you two have no fear or spite towards these creatures, then I can live with them." Sven stood up, ready to go see the dragons. Axel barked, sensing Sven's excitement.

All three men, accompanied by the wolf dog, headed back towards the clearing, where the dragons were waiting for them. They didn't seemed phased at all by the sudden disappearance, then the equally odd reappearance. The two didn't even raise their heads from the ground where they lay, but instead just glanced at them.

Sven approached Thornwolf and Melody with great caution, moving slowly. Axel also approached, moving towards the creatures from about two feet behind his master. The dog seemed to show the nervousness of Sven, perhaps sensing it. His ears were down, and he hung his head low, putting off an aura of alarm into the atmosphere. Sven did not see this, which greatly relieved Stoick. If he had seen his dog acting this way, he may think the dog was trying to warn him of aggression from the dragons, instead of it being a reflection of Sven's own worry.

Sven was ten feet from both of the dragons now, when he suddenly stopped. The two had raised their heads, and had now stood up. Both had their eyes narrowed, while the male was now baring his teeth in a snarl at Sven.

Stoick looked to Arn, whose eyes were staring at his brother's side. Stoick followed his gaze, seeing the sword in Sven's sheath, clinging to his side lazily. They had forgotten the most important part about meeting dragons: that you have to discard all weapons.

"Sven! Get rid of that weapon!" cried Stoick, but it was too late. Thornwolf was lunging toward Sven.

Sven dodged, but the Basilisk was on his tail. They moved awkwardly on the land, but the dragon was keeping up with the man, who was darting everywhere. Axel jumped at the male, only to be thrown off. The dog landed many yards away with a yelp, struggling to get up.

Arn was running for his dragons. The female was following behind her mate, but not attacking quite as much. So, Arn jumped in front of the male, who was lunging savagely at Sven, spraying banners of green fire, which Sven managed to escape. Arn lunged again, aiming badly and landing on the tail of the creature. He was immediately sent flying through the air, far away from Sven and the dragons. Stoick grabbed at the animals, but they pulled away.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stoick caught a bright flash of silver as Sven pulled out the sword, trying to throw it far into the woods. However, just then, Thornwolf lunged straight at Sven, and straight on top of the sword. Blood sprayed the air, and the creature pulled back, dislodging itself from the sword which was still in Sven's grasp. Thornwolf looked down at the base of his neck, seeing the deep red wound with wide eyes. The mighty Basilisk let out a grotesque gurgling cry before he collapsed to the ground, dead.

Suddenly, a glorious song filled the air, the song of Melody. She was letting out a call that pointed over the forest. It stopped as suddenly as it had started, then the bereaved female, now without her mate, resumed the attack on Sven. She lunged at the man, who was now running in a panic for his life. With one lunge, she knocked Sven from his feet, and he fell to the ground, the sword out of reach now.

There was a flash of silvery gray, and Stoick saw Axel leaping onto Melody's back, now riding the animal jockey-style, jaws clamped on the back of her neck. In his eyes, Stoick saw the spirit of the dog driven to protect his master. Sven saw this, too, but he was pinned under the dragon's claws and could not move or do anything about the situation.

Blood was now dribbling in a stream down Melody's shoulders from the point where Axel had clamped his jaws on her. Now leaving Sven, the Basilisk bucked upwards, knocking the dog from her back. He landed with a loud thud twenty feet away, yelping.

Sven didn't waste a moment, for now the dragon was turning on his dog. If he didn't do something, Axel would be killed. Sven pick up his sword, and thrust it backwards.

"Nooooo!" screamed Arn, but his cry came a moment too late.

The sword had already flown from Sven's grasp, where it was hurtling towards Melody at breakneck speed. Time slowed down, and Melody heard the whistling the sword made as it flew through the air. She turned her head, looking at the weapon flying at her. Her eyes widened in panic, but she had no time to fly, or to run, or to duck. The sword lodged itself in her chest.

Arn looked into the bright amber eyes of Melody one last time before the light faded from them, and the dragon collapsed to the ground, dead.

Stoick knew he had to leave, right now. Taking in a great deep breath, Stoick made a piercing whistle, moments later answered by a thundering roar. Thornado landed in the clearing, which was now slowly being coated with the blood pouring out of the dragons' bodies. Thornado saw the bodies, let out a mournful screech, and bowed for Stoick to mount him.

Stoick was about to take off, when suddenly there was a short, low howl coming from Axel, then two sharp barks. The dog was looking into the air, and Stoick turned to see a small purple speck flying towards them, from which he heard a song-like roar. The last thing Stoick saw before he left was Arn on the ground, his head in the grip of his hands, and Sven carrying the limping Axel towards Arn. The two left the bodies of the Basilisks, walking back into the woods.

Stoick was gone before he could see what the purple speck was. He and Thornado were flying over the ocean, back to Berk. And, for one of the first times in his life, tears were running down the cheeks of the great Viking Chief of the Hooligan tribe.

* * *

"These dragons were the same species as Starsong? They're called Basilisks?" I asked after a moment of silence, after this memory was finished being told.

Stoick nodded solemnly, looking down at the floor.

Stoick seemed to be withholding something. He had told me that he knew what kind of dragons they were. He had told me that my uncle had befriended two, and that my own father had killed them. The first one, the male, had been killed by accident, falling on top of the sword. The second, my father had killed to protect my dog. I looked at Axel, who was standing by my side like a good dog. While it pained me to believe it, I knew that my father would have killed a dragon in defense of himself or family, just as I had once said I would, and may very well still would. Knowing all this, being told this by the chief, seemed a good enough reason for him to have asked to talk to me. However, I could sense there was still more.

"What aren't you telling me, Chief?" I asked the man.

He looked up at me, with hesitation, pain, and anger in his eyes, as if battling with himself over whether or not to tell me whatever it was he was hiding.

"The eyes of your dragon. I've seen them before, in the male Basilisk, Thornwolf. Those same deep green eyes," the chief began, his voice straining. "The hatchling of those two did not die, as Arn had believed. The female had called out, right before she began attacking. Then, before I was about to leave, the purple speck appeared."

"You're not saying…" I began, but couldn't finish the sentence.

"She was calling her baby, whom the pair had left in another hiding place after Arn discovered them. That baby is standing right next to you, right now," Stoick said.

"You're not saying…" I repeated, begging my own ears that I was not hearing this.

"You know what I'm saying. Your father, Sven the True, killed the parents of your Basilisk dragon," Stoick said.

I looked at Starsong, whose eyes were stone-like, hard and glazed. She looked down, and I knew she had understood what was said. She looked at me, green irises bright with light, but foggy in pain.

_Where have I come from? What life have I led? Did I even really know the man who had been my mentor, my teacher, my friend, my father? Or did he die that night of bloodshed, hiding a secret from me, his own daughter?_

_Dad, how could you not have told me?_

* * *

_"Are you okay?"_ I asked Starsong, standing at the edge of the cliff and watching as the water farther out lapped over the ice closer to the cliffs. Axel was standing farther behind us, head hanging low, probably feeling like he had done something wrong.

Her gaze shifted in my direction, the bright green fogged over. _"These things happen. I am not angry, just sad."_

Her response shocked me, and I couldn't help but throw my arms around her neck. Her head curled around me, returning the embrace. _"How could you be so forgiving?"_

She just looked back at Axel, tapping the ground as a gesture for him to come forward. He trotted forward, sitting in front of her. Starsong nudged him lightly with her head, and he licked her. Axel, the cause of her mother's demise, caused her no anger. I had often thought Starsong was quite like a human with her emotions, but this was not something a human would do. This was better. She was forgiving.

_"You are my Master, Klara. Axel is my friend. None of that should have happened, with my parents and your father. That was a mistake, an accident. No one wanted that to happen, and so I have nothing to be angry about. You know, since that happened, it brought me here, to you,"_ she said, the mixture of hurt and love in her seeming contradictory, but it brought tears to my eyes.

_"I'm not just your Master, Starsong. I am your friend. Fate brought us together,"_ I told her, and she licked me on the face like Axel always does.

_"I can rest easy now. I finally understand why your scent has been causing me alarm. You're related to Sven, so you smell like him. When I found my parents in that field, his scent was all over that sword."_

_She's been afraid of me? Or rather, my scent?_ I thought. _"Why didn't you tell me?_" I asked.

_"Because, I didn't know what was causing my fear. Besides, that is all over now,"_ she said. I knew my expression displayed my uneasiness at this. I felt hesitant to agree that she could be all right with all of this. She gazed at me, then put on an incredible display of wisdom. _"Klara, we cannot change the past. All we can do is look towards the future, and worry about today. I am not angry, just sad that I no longer have my parents, just as you are."_

With that, we left for home, where I knew Astrid would be decorating for Snoggletog. Perhaps I could help her, perhaps that would take my mind off of all of this.

* * *

**(A/N) I don't know, do you guys hate me for what I had happen in this chapter? At least a couple of the questions have been answered, so you can rest easy with that. I bet you're happy with the extra long chapter, though. There was no way I could've squeezed this any shorter, and I didn't want to stretch it into two chapters.**


	21. Johann's Gift

_**Chapter 21 Johann's Gift**_

"Trader Johann! It's Johann! Johann is here!" came the cries of joy throughout the village the next morning, while the horizon was still orange from the sun's rising. And yet, almost the entire village was already up, and now all of them were storming the docks.

I ran inside the house, stealthily stuffing a few walrus tusks from the animals I'd caught into my pack. I took out a few things to make room, although the pack was still weighed down. I struggled to close it with one hand. I didn't want people to see the tusks before I had a chance to surprise my friends and new family.

After getting the bag closed, I raced down the stairs and hopped onto Starsong's back, overshooting the landing a bit and slipping off her, falling to the ground on the other side.

_"You okay?"_ she asked, rolling her eyes.

I'm sure most people would have groaned or said "Ouch!" I, however, couldn't help but laugh at my own clumsiness. I probably looked like an idiot, lying on the ground next to my dragon, trying to stifle my own laughter.

Starsong only proved this when she said, _"Okay, crazy, just come along."_

I got to my feet, still smiling, and climbed onto Starsong, this time more carefully. Together, we flew down to the docks, where people were crowding the ship that belonged to the trader. Seeing an open spot near the back of the ship, I hopped off Starsong and landed relatively quietly. Starsong landed in the water, floating at the top like a raft, waiting for me.

Seeing my entrance, Johann started towards me, mouth curved into a smile. "Klara! It's good to see you, lass!" he greeted me. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

He saw the stump where my right arm once was, so he offered his left hand to shake instead, which I took. "Hello, Johann. It's good to see you, too."

"I haven't had a chance to go to Mount Cove. How is your village fairing?" he asked. He didn't know about the massacre. So, in answer, I gave my head a sad shake. He would have been an idiot not to understand the meaning of this gesture, and Johann was no idiot. His face fell. "Oh, Klara, I'm sorry. Everyone?"

"Everyone, by the Outcasts. Only me and my baby cousin Erik are still here," I said, trying to keep my voice even.

"I'm so sorry," he said, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks. Now, what new things do you have?" I asked. "I'm looking to get some Snoggletog gifts," I whispered in his ear, not wanting others to hear. "Got anything good? I especially need to get something for Erik."

He smiled, and I followed him to a place full of odd things. In one area, there were a few cages holding birds with bright feathers and thick plumage. Somewhere, I heard dogs barking on the ship. In another area, there were all sorts of lethal and vicious weapons. In yet another place, where most of the women were flocking, was a place with an extensive collection of clothes. Johann stopped by a pile of baby's clothes.

I pulled out piles of the outfits. One was made of caribou skin, another woven from a strange sort of fabric that looked like sheep's wool, but was softer. Johann informed me that this was called alpaca fleece. One was dyed turquoise blue, and looked quite warm. There was also a coat made of what looked like ermine fur, since is was pure white. It looked quite big, so it would fit him for at least a year. I picked the coat up, along with the turquoise outfit.

I made my way to the miscellaneous area, with a whole host of random objects. I was delighted to see a great collection of things I could buy as gifts. There were statues and jewelry, spices and exotic foods, carvings and books. However, the thing that got my attention was a large chain linked coat of armor, which looked like it came from a place like Rome or something. I looked it over, weighing it as a gift.

I tilted my head slightly as I tried to decide, making my helmet fall to the ground. It rolled under a shelf, clinging against something else that was metal. Putting down the clothes, I bent underneath the shelf and grabbed my helmet, and was surprised to see a small knife, with a handle made of a reindeer's antler. I picked it up, knowing this would be a perfect gift. I forgot about the chain mail armor altogether.

I picked up a blank book that I could write in, adding it to the pile. Finally, I went back to Johann and discreetly handed him the largest of the walrus tusks. He gave me questioning look. "I got them while hunting for walruses," I told him, and he nodded.

Putting it all in my pack, I was about to head towards the docks when Johann called me back. "Wait!" he yelled. I met him back in the midst of the activity. "I almost forgot. When I was to go to Mount Cove next, I was going to bring you're uncle a gift for allowing me such easy access in his waters. You should see it, since now I think you should be the one to receive it."

I gave him an odd look, but he just gestured for me to follow. Interestingly, he did not take me to another of the goods sections, but to a doorway into a room where Johann appeared to store items. The barking I had heard earlier sounded close now, and when Johann lit a couple candles, I saw a pen off to the side where there were two large dogs. One was pure white, while the other was white with tan around his ears and eyes. The fur was quite thick, and in the one with the tan ears, it formed a thicker mane than the completely white one. Both barked in warning, but as Johann brought me over, they stopped.

"I got these two in a land far away, a place called Asia. They called them Pyrenees dogs, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog. They are quite valuable as protectors of the home, and the livestock. These two are a breeding pair," said Johann.

Suddenly, I heard a high-pitched yipping from the pile of blankets in the corner of the pen. A large puppy emerged, bouncing to his feet. He gave me a quizzical look, but didn't seem afraid at the presence of a stranger. He was neither overly friendly, nor shy.

"This one is about two months old. There were seven in the litter, and I traded them all at my last stop a couple days ago. I was saving this one for your uncle," Johann explained. "But now, under the circumstances, I believe he would now go to you."

"Sorry, but I already have a dog, plus a dragon. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to get another pet," I told him.

I was beginning to walk away, when he said, "Well, think about it. He would make a good gift for someone, and Snoggletog is only about a week away."

That made me think. Johann was right, this pup would be the perfect gift. He'd be highly valued around here, where farming is so important. So with that, I picked up the pup, thanked Johann, and was on my way.

* * *

I hid the things I had bought under the bed with the others, except for my blank book, which I put on the table. I got it all hidden away just in time, because Astrid was coming up the stairs with a new axe, which had a blade on only one side, as opposed to two. She stopped short, seeing the puppy laying on the floor next to me.

"Don't tell me you got another dog," she said in exasperation, bending down to pet the puppy. "How many pets do you need?" she asked as the puppy began to lick her.

"He was a gift from Johann. He was going to give him to Uncle Arn," I explained. "I'm probably going to give him to someone in the village as a Snoggletog gift."

"He's so cute," Astrid said, as the puppy rolled over onto his back for some scratching on the stomach.

"Like I said, don't get used to him, because he's not staying," I said, smiling at the way the little dog was rolling around.

"I can't believe you don't want to keep him. I mean, who could say no to a puppy?" she held him up, showing off his cute floppy ears and pure white coat. "He's a big one, too."

"It's not that I don't want him. I already have a dog, plus a dragon, and then there's my little cousin I have to take care of," I told her. I had been caring for little Erik whenever I was home, and Kelda would take him off my hands when I left. I wanted to be with him even more now, especially since Kelda had told me I missed his first steps last week. I didn't need a puppy to take care of, too.

"Okay, then. Who will you give it to?" she asked, sitting on the bed beside me. "There's a lot people who would love to have a dog around, especially such a fine one as this."

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll give him to Eira, since she took such good care of me. Or maybe Bucket and Mulch, since this dog would protect the livestock," I said, thinking about how big a dog has to be to protect the animals from predators, since they have to fend off the wolves and bears. Already, this puppy was big, big enough to make it hard for me to pick up with my one hand. He'd probably be a bit bigger than a wolf when he grew up. At that size, coupled with the thick, pure white coat, he'd be impressive.

"Well, you have a week to think about it. In the meantime, Mum says she needs your help right now with Erik. She's busy and can't watch him," Astrid told me, bringing a bright smile to my face. "I'll watch the pup for you, while you're gone."

"Thanks, just don't name him," I warned her, running down the stairs.

As expected, Kelda was there, holding the ever-quiet Erik in her arms. Kelda looked as though she had been pacing. She seemed relieved to see me coming. "Ah, Klara, there you are!" she exclaims. "I've got quite a bit to do, what with Snoggletog just around the corner."

I took Erik to my arm, my smile growing when he wraps his arms around me. "Don't worry Kelda, I'm glad to spend time with him."

Kelda ran out the door, and I was left with Erik. I slipped into my elk hide coat, put a blanket around Erik, then headed out the door as well. Erik leaned into me, closing his eyes. He wasn't exactly sleeping, but more like resting. His steady breath and soft heartbeat calmed me. Babies, at least when they aren't crying, seem to have this affect on people.

"I've missed you, kid," I whispered, making the boy look up at me.

His soft eyes were a deep chocolate brown, as was his hair. He resembled his father so much in this regard, and my father, too. He was also much bigger than when I first brought him here, months ago. His legs had grown stronger, since he began walking last week, and he was taller, too.

"Are you going to grow up on me?" I asked him rhetorically. "You can't do that to me," I said with a light laugh. Axel appeared by my side, and Erik reached his chubby hands out to the dog. Of course, Axel licked them, making little Erik giggle hysterically. That was one of the sounds that just melted my heart.

I gave a high-pitched whistle, and Starsong flew overhead, landing beside me._ "Hello, Klara. Where are we going today?"_ she asked in a confused tone, seeing the baby in my grasp. With a baby, Starsong knew we couldn't be going for a ride.

_"We're heading towards the Berk Dragon Academy, for your first training session. Hopefully the others are back from Johann's ship,"_ I told her.

_"Oh yes, the other Firebreathers have been telling me about how you would be trying to train me,"_ she said, not even trying to hide the disgust in her tone. _"If you ask me, I'm fine all by myself. You do not need to train me."_

_"While that may be,"_ I began, rolling my eyes, _"it still looks more… responsible to the villagers."_

_"I take you where you want to go, I allow you to ride me, and I hunt for you. I believe that should be enough. Besides, I am an aristocrat, and I should think that I am civilized enough to not need… training,"_ Starsong scoffed.

We entered the training ring, and the others were already there, melting the previously fallen snow with the fire from the dragons. I knew I would not actually be in there, considering the fact that there would be flying, fire and bumbling dragons that don't listen to their owners. I would not be worried for my own safety, but I wouldn't risk letting my little cousin get hurt. No, I would stay on the outside, and Hiccup would take care of Starsong.

Hiccup, looking quite exhausted and covered in black soot, called Starsong over while I made my way to the benches on the outside. "He must have been in the forge again," I commented to Axel, who turned to me and wagged his tail in cheerful noncomprehension.

Astrid suddenly sat down beside me, holding the fluffy white puppy in her arms. Erik's eyes widened as if he were staring at a god, and he reached out a wayward hand towards the puppy. The puppy sniffed the fingers, licking them twice, and I looked at Erik to see his mouth broken into a smile. He giggled even more than when the puppy licked him again.

"Well, they seem to like each other," stated Astrid.

She smiled at me, then we sat back to watch the action below unfold. Really, it was quite entertaining. Starsong started out by refusing to move when Hiccup told her to come over. Then she refused to let him mount her and fly, knocking him to the ground. Then she laid down to try and nap, while Hiccup tried to pull her to her feet.

"I thought he was supposed to be the Dragon Trainer!" I joked to Astrid, while simultaneously bouncing Erik on my leg.

About an hour of this went on, with Astrid and me laughing the entire time. Then, for the finale, Starsong decided she would pick a fight with Hookfang. This surprised even me. I knew Starsong was smart enough to not get into a fight she couldn't win. Now, though, she was laughing in that dragon way, with the rumbling, echoing roar. She flew through the air stealthily, easily dodging Hookfang's blasts. Axel, as well as the pup, began barking incessantly. Hookfang shot one more blast, using up his shot limit of ten, but managed to have it graze Snotlout's bottom, setting his pants on fire.

"Not again!" screamed Snotlout. Yelping, he jumped into the dragons' water trough, splashing water everywhere. "Oh yeah, that's the stuff," he sighed.

"Does that happen to Snotlout often?" I asked Astrid. She rolled her eyes.

"At least twice a month," she answered.

The fight ended, with Starsong snickering delightedly. Suddenly, the puppy in Astrid's arms started wriggling furiously, yipping twice. I looked over to where the pup was looking, only to see the angry eyes of an old man staring at me as he walked by with his cane, followed closely by a sheep.

"C'mon Fungus," I heard the man said as he disappeared from view. The pup stopped moving, still looking in the direction the man had gone.

"Mildew's always upset over something," she said. Everyone had told me all about Mildew. They told me that he constantly tried to get rid of the dragons, even framing them for vandalism or trying to poison them. I was curious about the man, wondering what made him so angry all the time. The few times I had seen him in town, he had given me and pretty much anyone else dirty looks.

"Let's give him a break. Snoggletog is coming, after all," I said, turning back to Astrid.

"Why should we? He's never given us anything but trouble," Astrid said with anger.

"Maybe he just doesn't have anyone. I know I'm missing my family right now," I answered calmly, but with an air of sorrow.

There must be a reason for the bitterness of any person. What was Mildew's? Maybe, just maybe, he needed a bit of kindness.


	22. The Feast

_**Chapter 22 The Feast**_

Last Snoggletog, Aunt Ingrid and Uncle Arn gave me a fine sword, which I had promptly lost over a cliff in a lightning storm. My father gave me a wooden bow he'd carved, which I can no longer use since it requires two hands. My mother gave me a luxurious sweater made of yak qiviut, which I had managed to ruin in the same storm that I'd lost the sword in. Basically, I've now lost all of the gifts my family gave me. Quite a productive year, in my opinion.

I woke up, feeling the crisp air of the room even from under my blanket of furs. The very atmosphere seemed as though it was celebrating, but I felt only the mourning pain that I had managed to bury for months. I knew the coming day would not be just a holiday, and a jolly one for all my friends, but for me it would also be an obstacle. While others will feast with their families, I would be missing mine. This would be my first Snoggletog without my family. I'll be mourning the loss of my parents, my aunt and uncle, my best friend, and all the villagers that I left behind. Those children that were already talking about Snoggletog all those months ago, but who never got the chance to see it. They're lives were cut short. They never got the chance to really live.

"Rise and shine," said Astrid suddenly, yanking off the blanket from my bed. "It's Snoggletog, let's get downstairs and see what we got."

"Ugh! Five more minutes!" I groaned, making a halfhearted grab for the blanket, which she easy pulled out of the way. "What's the big deal?"

"It's Snoggletog! I don't know about you, but I want to get downstairs and see if I got that dagger and spear I wanted!" Astrid said, pulling me to my feet, though I wobbled groggily. "Mum says to not bother showing up for the presents until you're up, too"

I didn't get why she was this excited. She wouldn't be able to go for a ride today on Stormfly, seeing as she and most of the other dragons were at their nesting grounds. Starsong hadn't made the trip, seeing as she wasn't yet fully grown and was not yet old enough to have babies of her own. Neither did many of the other adolescents of the previous year. Still, the village seemed empty. I looked at Astrid, seeing her excitement, and resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Fine," I agreed, and she ran down the stairs. Stealthily, I grabbed the sack under my bed that I had put the presents in the previous night. I carried it downstairs, putting it beside the other gifts. My helmet was down here, like everyone else's was, and it held a small package loosely wrapped. "Wonder what's in their," I said to myself.

I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of gifts. I mean, I knew Kelda and Randolf would want to give me something. I just didn't know if they could afford anything, considering I came along unexpectedly. To be honest, just having a home here with such nice people would have been good enough. Sure, presents are awesome, and I love getting a dagger or a great carving or whatever, but I'm sure it'd be wasted on me right now. I just wasn't in the holiday mood.

Astrid gently picked up the sleeping Erik from his crib, handing him to me. Well, at least Erik could cheer me up a bit. He fell against my body, wrapped in a thick blanket to keep the cold at bay. He stirred a bit, but didn't cry at being woken up. It would never cease to amaze me how he was such an easy baby. Actually, now he could be considered a toddler, since he had been walking.

Astrid, having woken her parents, walked with them up to the small pile of gifts. And the opening of the presents begins. Astrid opened her three gifts, ecstatic to find a spear, five throwing knives, and a new light blue cloak.

I opened the gift that was in my helmet, a smile showing on my face. Inside the package I found a pair of shoulder plates, made of thick steel, and a new sheath for my father's knife. This was good, considering the sheath I was currently taking everywhere was beginning to fall apart, after the thrashing it took when I fell off the cliff.

"Thank you," I told them, though they could still sense that my mood was down.

They didn't comment on it at first, but handed a small package to me. "This is for young Erik," said Randolf.

After some encouragement on my part, the child tore the wrapping off the package. Inside was a pair of shoes for the boy, as well as a small toy dog made of wood. "These are beautiful," I told them, smiling genuinely.

"Johann gave us a good deal for them," said Kelda. "The boots are lined with fleece, so he'll be warm. But the toy, he told me he got it from one of the carvers at Mount Cove."

I looked up at this, then back at the carving. Looking more closely, the dog resembled one of the herding dogs from the shepherds' flocks. In fact, I knew the carver had to be my friend Ida's uncle, it so resembled his other pieces. Ida's uncle had been one of the village's shepherds, and this dog must have been his own. "This is perfect!" I exclaimed, seeing Erik handle the toy with a curious pleasure.

They had begun to get up and leave, seeing all the gifts near the fire pit were gone, but I stopped them, pulling the sack to my side.

"I love to carve, and these are some things I made from the pine just outside the village," I said, digging through the bag. They sat down, bewildered. I could tell they hadn't expected this.

I pulled out Astrid's goshawk, and her eyes widened. The creature was in mid-flight, talons poised and at the ready. "Wow," she said in awe as I handed it to her.

"These birds are known as the most protective of their families, as the most ferocious nest defenders of any of the birds of prey," I explained. "When I first came here, you first struck me as brave, and Hiccup tells me that you would be the last to leave a battlefield, that you'd have your friends' backs."

She smiled, showing her bright crystal blue eyes. Kelda and Randolf looked on with happiness. Then, when I pulled out the carving of the two wolves, their jaws simultaneously dropped open. The two wolves, standing facing each other with a strip of grassy land connecting them, held their muzzles high towards the sky in song together.

"Back home, I would watch from the trees some of the wolf packs in the forests. Each had an alpha pair, the mother and father of the pack. They would start the nightly songs together, leading their families into it. Two wolves, singing together, symbolizes the bond between a man and a woman, two individuals that love each other," I told them, handing it to them. "I wanted to make you guys something special, to thank you for taking me in."

"Oh, Klara," began Kelda, her eyes beginning to water in the way that my mother often used to do, "it's beautiful. But… how did you make these?"

"Gobber let me borrow a prosthetic with a knife on it. I love to carve, it's like a family tradition, and I was glad I could keep it up," I told them. Their happiness brought me some joy.

They cleared a spot on a shelf, displaying the two wolves in the very center of it. It made me feel special, and it really flattered the carving. I had painstakingly carved fine details into it, showing each strand of fur on the animals' backs, and the canines in their jaws showed bright. I was glad it was appreciated.

"I've been saving up the tusks from the walruses Starsong and I hunted, so I was able to get this for Erik," I said, pulling out the coat. The boy hardly looked at it, although Kelda admired it.

"Lass, you certainly have an eye for this sort of thing," she said. "Is that ermine?"

"Yes, and then there's this," I added, pulling out the turquoise outfit. "He seemed to need some new clothes."

The puppy, now just waking up, hurried over to us, along with Axel. Erik tumbled toward the pup, and the small dog let him throw his arms around him. Astrid looked at me, a question in her eyes. "Have you thought about who to give him to?" she voiced her thoughts.

"I'm not really sure. Let's take him with us to the dragon arena, maybe the others will have an idea," I said.

* * *

The others had no idea about who to give him to, not boding well for the dog. They had loved the carvings I gave them, and they all glistened with pride as I described the meanings that the animals symbolized. We talked a bit about the celebration for that night at the Great Hall, while Toothless and Starsong chatted at the back.

Suddenly, Hiccup went over to Toothless and pulled something out of the saddlebag, blocking it from my view until he was right in front of me. Then he displayed what it was, showing a shining steel sword with an inscription on the blade.

I read it aloud. "The first casualty of war is truth," it said. I paused, thinking about it. "That's an odd thing to inscribe on a weapon."

"Well, I did what you did. I matched it to your personality. I know you won't use this sword for wrong. I know you believe in these words," Hiccup said, that charming smile on his face. He looked a little embarrassed, too.

"Is this what you've been working on in the forge?" I asked him. "All those days you were so exhausted and had soot all over you?"

"Yeah. I wanted to surprise you for your first holiday on Berk," he told me. I smiled and gave him a hug, touched that he would do this for me. After I let go, he looked me in the eye. "I know you must not be feeling very festive today. The Snoggletog after my mother died, I… well, I wished it wasn't a holiday, because I missed her so much."

"Thanks, but I don't think anything is going to make me feel much better today," I responded.

"Guys, it's getting late. We should be heading for the Great Hall. People are already going there for the feast," said Astrid.

When I looked at her, she was giving me a strange look. Her eyes darted between me and Hiccup, and she seemed almost angry. I put the sword and sheath on my belt, letting it hang there, then led the puppy towards the house.

* * *

The feast was in full swing. Some people ate, while others sat and talked. Some of the village's children played with Axel and the puppy, giggling joyfully when they licked their little faces. Starsong, while not letting any adults near her, let the kids climb all over her. She bumped up and down a little, making the children on her bounce around. They laughed at this while they clung tightly to her.

I had already eaten a plateful of mutton and cabbage, along with some bread covered in honey and butter, an apple, and I washed it down with a big cup of goat milk. Astrid had attempted to give me a mug of what she called "yak-nog." She claimed she had invented it herself. The stuff smelled like sweat and yak musk, and when she poured some into a mug it looked chunky. I had fended her off by telling her I was full, and I was relieved when she moved on with the stuff, especially when I noticed Snotlout hiding from her, looking green and gagging.

I looked around now, sitting at a table with the other teens. Astrid had abandoned her drink, and I felt somewhat contented. I didn't think I'd feel any better today. Truth is, I just wanted the day to be over. Suddenly, all went silent. Stoick had called for quiet.

"Let's have a moment of silence, for our fallen allies and friends of Mount Cove," boomed Stoick. The hall remained completely quiet for a minute, and even the children stopped playing and went silent. When the moment of silence was over, Stoick went on. "I propose a toast, to Klara! The newest addition to our village, and a valued girl." Stoick was holding the knife I had given to him as a gift.

"To Klara," boomed the room, raising their mugs to their mouths, and I felt my jaw drop open in shock.

How would I deserve a toast? What could I have done to warrant this? Beside me, I felt Astrid punch me on the shoulder, but it was a congratulatory gesture.

Then behind me, I heard the raspy groan of an old man: Mildew.

* * *

**(A/N) Sorry for the shorter chapter, but more will be on the way soon.**


	23. The Gift of Grace

_**Chapter 23 The Gift of Grace**_

"The girl's been nothin' but trouble since she's come!" yelled Mildew. "And ye'r toastin' to her!"

I just stood there, looking the man hard in the eyes. I wanted to hear this. I wanted to hear what he has to say.

"She had the village in shambles when she disappeared, she's another mouth that the Hoffersons have to feed. She's been a burden for the healers ever since she fell off that damn cliff," screamed Mildew.

"Mildew, silence!" yelled Stoick.

"Her dog was chasin' my flock of sheep, and now she's just a crippled girl. Crippled girls have no use in our society!"

I heard his words, but they seemed to have no affect on me. My friends came to my side. They looked defiant of the man, scowling at him.

"That's not true! Guys, show Mildew what Klara made us," said Astrid. They all held up the things I carved them, and the villagers gazed at them in awe of my handiwork. "If she can do this, then her lack of a right hand does not cripple her!" yelled Astrid at him.

"She's cost us nothing," said Randolf. "In fact, she's been a benefit to us. She can hunt, and that means we have extra food for our dinner plates, and so does the village."

"She's our friend," said Snotlout.

"Yeah, and she's an awesome sword fighter!" said Tuffnut.

"You should've seen her fight those boars off our dragons!" added Ruff.

"She has knowledge to spare for the Dragon Book, and other things!" agreed Fishlegs.

"Klara has been valued, and you have no right to insult her!" yelled Hiccup.

I just stood there for all of this, feeling an odd sense of power, not from the words of my friends, but from the fact that I was somehow able to control my emotions. I didn't let myself feel anger towards Mildew, or sadness over his words. As my friends began to yell at Mildew, I raised my hands to quiet them. They went silent immediately.

"You have all taken me in when I needed you the most," I said, addressing the entire village. "I have, indeed, been trouble in many regards, and I apologize for this."

The silence continued, for I had more to say.

"I wasn't expecting to have to come here. I love it here, though, because this place is different. I even made new friends," I said, petting Starsong and looking at the others. "Don't get me wrong, I wish I never did have to come here. I wish I could be with my parents right now, and my aunt and uncle, and my friends from Mount Cove. But you know what? That's not going to happen." I paused, feeling the beating of my heart and hearing it just the same. "If I had to go anywhere, I'm glad I came to Berk."

With that, I walked outside with Starsong, relieved to feel the cool night air on my hot face. Moments later, I heard the clatter of the door opening and closing, and my friends were standing beside me.

"You okay?" asked Hiccup. "You took quite a beating in there."

"Actually, for once I can say I'm fine," I answered, and I meant it.

"You must be so mad at Mildew," commented Astrid. "He's a crazy old man."

"No, I'm not mad at Mildew. I'm not mad at all," I told them. They looked at me oddly. "Go ahead, say I'm weird, but I'm not angry."

The doors opened again, and this time it was Gobber who came out, carrying a medium-sized sack. "Hello, kids!" he said, face slightly red from the mug of mead he probably drank. He wasn't drunk, just flushed. "I've got something for you, Klara. I almost forgot about it."

Out of the sack he pulled, of all things it could possibly be, a prosthetic. It was a dully pointed hook hand that looked like it was screwed on. With it, Gobber gave me something else I could screw on, which looked like a hand with thick ends that hooked downward into a point, like claws. "The second one is for climbing," Gobber said, seeing my curious look.

"Thank you, Gobber. This must have cost you," I said, strapping the hook hand onto my arm.

"Actually, I got a note about two weeks ago, along with some money. They wanted me to make it for you, and the money was to pay for it," he said, and the look on my face was dumbfounded. "Don't bother asking me who wrote the note, 'cause they didn't sign it."

It fit perfectly. I moved my arm around in it, wondering who would show me such kindness. Hiccup would be my first guess, but when I looked at him questioningly, he shook his head.

The doors began opening, with the villagers heading home. They greeted us, most of them giving me an extra warm smile, and then went back into town. Then, I saw Mildew leaving, grumbling as he went in the opposite direction from all the other villagers. I knew his home was far away from the rest of the town.

"Let's go home," said Astrid, our group being the only people left at the Great Hall.

But I stayed put, watching Mildew's form disappearing into the distance. Finally, I relented, picking up the puppy from one of the children who were now following their parents home. Then, I recognized the sound of many dragons above us.

"They're back!" exclaimed Astrid, and the streets began to fill again.

Hundreds of dragons, followed closely by their babies, landing in the center of town. Meatlug dropped down in front of Fishlegs, with a dozen little Gronkles at his feet. He hugged his dragon affectionately, petting the babies as well, while a few seconds later Stormfly touched down beside Astrid, three purple Nadder infants hopping from her back.

The reunion was delightful. Starsong stayed by my side, away from the baby dragons, and Toothless nudged the little creatures in play. We stayed playing with them for hours, the light of the moon and a few torches for us to see with.

"C'mon, let's get going," said Astrid after awhile. I shook my head in response.

A thought had previously come to mind, and I was now determined to put my plan into motion. "Wait, I have one more gift to give."

* * *

"You're crazy, you know that? You really are!" exclaimed Astrid, riding on Starsong with me. In her arms, she held the wriggling, puffy white form of the puppy. He was almost too big for her to carry.

"I know, you've told me about twenty times over the past five minutes," I retorted. "Look, this was my decision. I know I'm doing the right thing."

"After what he did? You just can't be serious!" protested Astrid.

"Here's a thought. If you didn't want me to do this, then why did you come?" I asked her, a genuine question. "You know this isn't a bad thing."

She didn't say anything after that, and moments later I landed Starsong just out of sight of the house. I didn't really think Mildew would like it if I brought a dragon right up to his home, seeing as he disliked the creatures so much. We dismounted, and I took the puppy from Astrid's arms. He was still heavy, but it was much easier to carry him now that I had a prosthetic to balance the weight.

We walked up the hill, coming to the house. Beside the longhouse were two fenced areas. One held a field, now going unused during the winter. The other held a flock of around thirty sheep. The scent of the surrounding air was musty, and vaguely disgusting. As we approached the house, Astrid stopped in her place. She gave me a questioning look, as if asking if I was really going to do this.

"It's okay, you can stay here. Although he's still going to see you," I said, then climbed the steps to the house.

I knocked loudly, and moments later the door flew open with a crash. His eyes narrowed as he saw me. "What do you want?" he said in an accusing manner. "Get off my property!"

"Sir, I know you don't really like me, but this is Snoggletog. I thought you could use a little bit of cheering up," I said, putting the wriggling puppy down at his feet. "He was from Johann, and I think you should have him."

"What is this all about?" he asked menacingly, kneeling down to look at the puppy. "Do you just not remember me yelling at you in the Great Hall?"

"I remember, but I honestly don't care about that," I said, and I truly meant it. I did not care at all. "I don't think anyone gave you a present, so I guess I can be that one."

The puppy at his feet was licking the man furiously as he knelt beside him. The perpetual scowl on his face lessened, and the edges of his lips curled into a neutral expression. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "What have I done for you?"

"I don't think that should matter, sir. You're all alone up here. No one seems to bother caring about you. Maybe you just need a friend," I said, gesturing towards the puppy. "He can guard your sheep when he grows up, too."

He began to pet the dog, and in turn the dog licked his fingers. I swear, I saw for just a moment, a smile play across the old man's features. Knowing I'd made a grumpy, angry old man happy for the first time in probably years, I felt joyful, cheerful, like my day had finally been lifted up. It was a great feeling.

"Well, I suppose I could take him off your hands. Now off with ya!" he shouted halfheartedly, and I could tell he didn't really mean it.

So I left, walking back to Starsong with Astrid, who began chattering immediately. "You know, I believe that's the closest that man has ever come to a smile," she began. "I just don't understand you, Klara. You just gave a fine pup to a grouch of an old man!" she exclaimed, as we took off on Starsong.

"Yeah, and I am probably the first one in years who has shown him anything but anger and contempt," I countered. "Why do you think he's like that? Because no one cared enough to help him out."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" shouted Astrid.

"If you really stopped to think about it, you would get it. Mean, grumpy people aren't just born that way, they are made to be that way. Same thing with your enemies. People aren't born evil, they're made that way, because no one bothers to help those people."

Astrid wouldn't have it, and I knew that, at least for now, I would not be changing her mind. It didn't matter, though. I'd done the right thing, and no one could tell me otherwise.

_"Well, at least I don't have to worry about that pup anymore,"_ Starsong said sarcastically before we landed by the house. I rolled my eyes, giving her a nice pat on the shoulder before we left her with Stormfly. When we went inside, I was greeted by a marvelous sight. Kelda was holding Erik with her by the fire pit, and she beckoned me over.

"Listen," she said, as she handed me the child. I took him in my grasp, and then my heart leapt at what I heard him say.

"Klara! Klara!" he said delightfully in a high-pitched voice. A wide grin donned my face.

"Okay, it's official. This was a great day," I said, holding Erik closely to me.

* * *

**(A/N) Merry Christmas in July! Well, close enough...**

**It may not seem like it, but Mildew will actually be a major player in the overall plot of the story.**


	24. A Journey's Beginning

**(A/N) Hey guys, sorry I'm a little late with this chapter, but here it is.**

* * *

_**Chapter 24 A Journey's Beginning**_

After about a month, with all the baby dragons adopted out to the village's children or growing up alongside their parents, I slowly grew accustomed to having just my left arm. It was hard, given the fact that my right hand had been my dominant one. I had used it with my bow and arrows, and my sword as well. I used that hand to draw the edible plants back home and write descriptions of them, and write about the animals of the area. I had used it when riding my family's horses and fishing with my father.

However, I'd used my left hand sometimes, too. Changing over to my left hand was easier than it was for most, and as it turns out, I was just as skilled at the sword with my left as my right. I practiced with the others in sword fighting, using the sword Hiccup made me, and I beat them all at it. With my hook hand, I was able to maneuver it in such a way that I could use my bow again, and now took Axel hunting in my free time for elk. The other prosthetic, which I just called my climbing claws, worked well, and I was able to climb every tree I could find. I climbed nearly as fast as the squirrels that lived there, which I would often race.

I was able to write and draw with my left, and I kept my blank journal with me at all times to see if there was anything I should document, but had found nothing so far. I could also fish on the back of Starsong in the cold waters, keeping out of the water. She floated like a raft there, and I didn't get wet at all. She had gotten much bigger, and she told me that she was nearly full grown. Starsong had gone through a rapid growth spurt, and was nearing the size of a Zippleback.

When I took her to the Dragon Academy, everyone found it painfully clear that she was nearly untrainable. She would listen to me, but that was just because I was able to talk to her. She would refuse to listen at all to the others, and never allowed anyone but Astrid or me onto her, except for the village children who like to play on her.

"What is wrong with you?" Hiccup shouted at Starsong, exasperated, after he'd spent twenty minutes trying to climb on top of her. She threw him off each time.

"I've given you a challenge, Mr. All-Knowing Dragon Trainer!" I said with a laugh, rolling my eyes. He blushed slightly. "She listens to me, but it's a shame I couldn't have started the training when she was little."

"Yeah," said Snotlout, feeling particularly proud that his dragon was no longer the most stubborn.

I was able to guess why she was so stubborn. Dad had once told me that the smartest dogs are sometimes the most stubborn and hardest to train. They know they don't have to listen, so they don't. I had told them this, but only Fishlegs and Astrid thought it was correct. Ruff, Tuff, and Lout thought it was because Starsong was stupid- like their dragons were anything to brag about- and Hiccup was still firm in the belief that he could train Starsong.

Of course, soon she would listen to simple commands, such as "no" and "stay", but I was the only one who she really listened to. I didn't command her to do most of the stuff I wanted her to do, but instead just asked her, and she usually complied. It didn't matter what they said about her. I knew she was the smartest dragon I'd ever seen, maybe even smarter than Toothless. She could come up with complicated hunting strategies, and was sly in her abilities to cause mischief with the other dragons and then get out of the way as the fight would start. She would look on at the two dragons, usually Hookfang and Barf and Belch, and admire her work as they growled and roared at each other. In this way, she was both amusing and annoying to me. I was the one who usually had to stop the fight, but I was quick about it and was able to end it before any damage could be made.

It was a bit over a month after Snoggletog, and as I walked around with my new shoulder plates on and Axel at my side under the full moon, a yawn came through me. It was time for me to be off to bed now, and I headed back to the house, Axel plodding along after me. The snow around us was thick and deep, winter having only just begun. Still another… what, five months until winter was over? My elk hide coat kept me plenty warm, so I didn't really worry about it. I liked the cold, and didn't even wear the coat most of the time. I just wore my purple shirt, my gray vest, black pants, and boots. At my side, I always had my sword and my father's knife, and I also had my bow and arrows much of the time, slung across my shoulder.

I entered the house, walked up the stairs with Axel following behind me, and after removing my vest, boots, and various weapons, I climbed into bed. Sleep came easily, and I felt completely content as I drifted off.

* * *

_Klara, Klara, Klara. Klara._

_I listened, registering my name being called, and yet not reacting, like I had no ability to do anything about it._

_"Klara!" I heard closer, louder. I recognized the voice, and groaned. I was hoping beyond hope I would never hear that voice again, and yet it soothed me. It made me feel safe to hear it, and yet panicked, because the tone was loud and almost alarmed, but not quite._

_"It's you?" I asked, as the being formed in front of her. My surroundings were completely dark, but the being in front of me was purely white light. "You are here again?"_

_"Yes, and it is time for your journey to take its new course. The prophecy has begun, and it is time for you to go," He said. His voice was not panicked, but it roused me to alarm._

_"What do you mean, what's happening?" I asked, bewilderment in my voice. "Where am I going?"_

_"Have faith, and I will lead you through. Do not ask where, or how, but rather just keep moving. Make decisions from your heart, for you will now be a leader. I will give you the wisdom, but have faith in Me, or all shall be lost," He said._

_"I'm confused…" I said, but the being hushed me. I immediately fell silent._

_"I have given you the tools you need. A gracious mind, heart, and spirit. A loyal dragon, and friends that remain by your side. I have given you love, and that will be enough to guide you," He said. "You must leave, for they have come. Your foes are here, the ones whom you have all fought before. Remember what I have shown you, remember the loving spirit I have given you, and you shall survive."_

_The being remained in front of me, while I just looked at my arm. Then I nearly fell back in shock, for my arm had begun to glow. It shined nearly as brightly as the god, and I was forced to look away. A moment later, when I peered back at it, my right arm was there again. It was neither scarred nor disfigured, but in perfect condition, even better than before it was amputated._

_"Do you need this?" asked the god, not showing emotion. "I can restore it, but only if you need it."_

_I looked at my arm, desire enfolding over me. I wanted my arm back, more than anything. However, I remembered my baby cousin, Erik, in my grasp. I didn't need the arm to hug him close to me. I remembered my abilities, fighting with my sword and hunting with my bow and arrows, then climbing in the forests. I didn't need my arm to do those things. I remembered riding Starsong, and her pristine figure looking up at me with love in her eyes. I didn't need my arm to ride her or be her friend. I remembered those carvings I'd made, and I didn't need my arm for that. I remembered Astrid's laugh as we hunted and fished together. I didn't need my arm to be her sister. I remembered the white puppy I had carried to Mildew, and the pained smile on his face as he began to pet the pup that in turn licked his face. I didn't need my arm to show kindness, or love._

_Most of all, I remembered the face of the boy I had looked upon so wistfully, who was one of the best friends I'd ever had. His brown hair falling limply over his sea green eyes, and the pride he took when he rode his dragon, but not pride that caused you to brag. It was the pride that everyone carried, in being a good person, that honor. The boy who made me a sword, and helped me to live in this new place. The boy who had always been by my side. I hadn't really realized what I'd felt for him before, but I did now. And the one thing I knew for sure, I didn't need my arm to love Hiccup._

_"No, I don't need this," was all I said._

_Immediately, the arm disappeared, and I knew that that had been my only chance to have it again. "You have a good spirit, Klara. You hold wisdom beyond your years, and will be honored for it."_

_After a moment's pause, I once again found my voice. "Before you leave, will you answer me one question?" I asked, and the being waited. "Who are you?"_

_I couldn't see the god's face, but I knew He was smiling. I could sense it. "I am not one of the Viking's gods. I am God, the Lord Almighty, and the One Most High."_

_I bowed down to Him, knowing what he said was true. No, I didn't just know it, I felt it, woven inside me. It was an ancient feeling I had no knowledge of, but with it I felt an indescribable comfort and joy, like nothing could harm me._

_God disappeared, and I was left in the darkness of this world. Then, the darkness seemed to turn into a glowing red, and something was shaking me. Shaking me hard._

* * *

I awoke with a start, gasping slightly. Astrid was above me, and everything in my vision seemed red. Around me, I heard screams, and Axel's frantic barking. The room felt hot, and I could barely see anything.

"Get up! The house is on fire!" she yelled, and I shot upwards. I grabbed the essentials- which coincidentally I left beside my bed- which included my sword, my father's knife, bow and arrows, helmet, vest, backpack, and of course my boots.

"What happened?" I asked frantically.

"There was some kind of explosion, and now the house is on fire! Mom, Dad, and Erik are outside already! Let's go!" she exclaimed, and I ran after her.

I gripped Axel by his leather collar, and he helped lead us out of the house. I was reminded of his fighting his way out of our burning house when Mount Cove was attacked. Suddenly, a pile of flaming rubble fell down from above, right in front of us. Astrid let out a yell, and I fell back against the wood. The heat of the air seared into me. That, coupled with the smoke billowing around us, made it pretty hard to breath. Astrid crouched in front of me, Axel beside her whining. Taking in a deep breath and holding it, I ran forward, grabbed Astrid, and darted over the pile of burning rubble and out the open door, Axel following a moment later.

"Astrid, you okay?" I asked, dropping my stuff on the ground. She nodded, but I could clearly see the large burn on her left arm where the pile of rubble had probably hit her. She had on an expression of pain, but she was ignoring it.

A few feet off, Kelda and Randolf were sitting on the ground, coughing. Erik sat beside them, crying furiously. All around us, men and women ran to and fro, wielding spears, axes, maces, and swords. Kids carried around buckets of water in an attempt to douse the flames that encompassed the entire village, but I knew it was useless. Everything was on fire.

Starsong and Stormfly landed beside Astrid and me, panting from the smoke choking the village and the sky. _"What's happening?"_ I asked Starsong, while slipping on my boots and vest, strapping my knife and sword sheaths to my belt, putting on my helmet, and slinging my bow and quiver of arrows over my shoulder, all in a matter of seconds. _"Where has this fire come from?"_

_"Balls of fire are flying in from the beaches,"_ answered Starsong. _"Men are coming off of floating wooden structures and running onto the shore."_

_"How many?"_ I asked, remembering the dream I had just woken up from.

_"Many more than the Masters of Berk!"_ she exclaimed, while I mounted her. Beside me, Astrid mounted Stormfly with difficulty, using only her right arm. Her left was red from the burn, and it oozed blood. Still on the ground, Randolf ran with the men and women that were heading towards the shore, weapons in hand. Kelda carried Erik in the opposite direction, beginning to herd away the children and elderly towards the mountains, where Mildew lived.

Now in the air, Astrid and I found the others hovering in the air a distance away from the smoke, and we flew over to them. They looked distressed, and I recognized most of them had minor burns and cuts. However, Astrid's arm was the worst, and she was gasping in pain from it. I turned from her to Hiccup, locking eyes with him.

"What do we do?" he asked me.

"We can't just sit here and not do anything," I said. "We'll help escort the children and elders, then come back and try to help."

So we followed the group, surrounding them protectively with our dragons. From even higher above, more dragons hovered, seeming to guard the group. Many of the dragons were also walking beside the group on the ground. A few of them were babies, but most were adults. They were probably the dragons belonging to the children. Soon, we reached Mildew's place, where the old man stood outside, staring in disgust at the ships full of attacking men. I couldn't help but feel hopeful at the sight though, considering at his side was the puppy.

"Wish I could say it was a good night, Mildew!" I called as I landed down beside him. He just stared at the ships, and I recognized something new in his eyes. Pain.

"I've seen these ships before. This isn't good," he began, and the elders came over to him. "This army belongs to a man known as Arvel the Conqueror. He's the leader of the Outcasts now." A few of the elders gave gasps, seeming to remember something, while Mildew just looked on at the battle scene in the distance with a plain face.

"What will we do?" I asked.

Mildew said nothing, just stood there. It was a familiar voice I heard that answered my question. "Leave."

It was Eira, the old healer who had saved my life. She walked up to me now, while my friends stayed off to the side. The elders backed away, all except Mildew, who wouldn't budge. "What?" I asked, although I had heard her correctly. I knew this would happen, after the god had told me about it in the dream.

"Take your friends away. I have seen this enemy before, when I was visiting another island. I know what they are capable of," she said, looking down at Axel, then back at the dragons. "It was a small fleet of this army that probably attacked Mount Cove."

"So we just leave you?" I asked.

"The other elders and I will get word to Stoick, and have him surrender. This army has been known to take slaves," she said, but then put on a mournful face.

"She's right," Kelda said, holding onto Erik in a baby carrier strapped to her back. "You must leave."

I knew they were right, and yet tears were streaming down my face. I turned to Eira. "I'll need some medicine and bandages," I told her. She handed me her bag, which I promptly placed in the saddlebags on Starsong.

I took a rope, tying it tightly around Axel, then strapped him to the saddle so he wouldn't fall. Then I turned to the group of about twenty children. "Mount your dragons!" I ordered, and they immediately did so.

"You're taking the children?" asked Hiccup from Toothless's back.

"If this is the same army as the one that attacked my home," I began with a strong voice, "then they'll not be taking children as prisoners. They'll slaughter them, and so we'll be taking them with us."

They gave me exasperated looks, but did not argue. That's when I realized they were taking orders from me. _Me_. Of all people. I turned to Kelda, who seemed to know what I was about to ask.

"Give me Erik," I said. "I'm not leaving him behind. He's not just my cousin, he's like my brother."

With that, Kelda strapped the crying child to my back, trying to get him in tightly enough beside the quiver of arrows. "Now get going," Kelda said, and I mounted Starsong.

The last person I turned to was, oddly enough, Mildew. "Mildew, before we leave, what did you name the pup?" I asked, and he looked at me. "What did you name the pup?"

He looked at the whimpering pup beside him, then actually smiled. "I named him Noble."

I smiled at the name, knowing it fit the strong young dog well, and took off into the air on Starsong.

* * *

**(A/N) In case you can't tell, this story is taking a very different turn now. I also have a big surprise for you at the end of the next chapter, so stick around and find out. I'm sure you're all going to love it *insert evil laugh here*.**


	25. My Vow

**(A/N) Hello my followers! Chapter 25 is here! Oh, and there's a surprise at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

_**Chapter 25 My Vow**_

"Mom, Dad," Tuffnut and Ruffnut said simultaneously, as our group began its flight over the battlefield. Two children were on Starsong with me, and the others also carried children who didn't have dragons. "No," Ruff and Tuff said.

I looked down, seeing Mrs. Thorston fighting with her spear against two men attacking her, and Mr. Thorston attempting to fight with only one good arm. The other dangled limply at his side, covered in blood. Immediately, Toothless shot a plasma blast at the oncoming men, freeing the Thorstons.

All around, men and women fell beneath the stroke of the sword. The dark red liquid sprayed from their bodies, streaming in the cold night air. It flooded the ground, and the boots of the soldiers running through it were covered in the blood. The edge of the sea's ice was stained red.

"Slaughter! It's them alright!" I shouted, then called for Fishlegs. He hovered beside me. "Begin leading the children out to sea. Go southeast, towards the mainland."

"Gotcha!" he said. I handed him the crying Erik, whom he tied to his chest, and then Axel. After strapping the wolf dog to Meatlug's saddle, he then flew towards all the kids on their dragons. The others and I let the kids we were carrying hop off onto the dragons of their friends. "Let's go!" shouted Fishlegs.

While the swarm of dragons began their flight in the direction of the mainland, I turned to Hiccup, then Astrid. "Astrid, go with Fishlegs! You're not well enough to fight!" I ordered. In truth, she looked like she was about to pass out. She was too weak to offer any resistance, and followed the group, led by Fishlegs.

"What do you propose we do now?" shouted Ruff and Tuff.

"I thought you guys knew how to cause destruction!" I retorted sarcastically. "Go over to the ships, and try to make a few explode."

"Snotlout, fire at the attacking army!" Hiccup said. Then he turned to me. "You know what to do."

"And so do you," I replied, giving him a sad look.

Hiccup shot up into the sky with blazing speed, and I marveled at it before turning back to the battle scene below. "You ready, Starsong?" I asked in my human voice. It didn't matter, she seemed to understand me anyway. I thought this was strange, since she had a hard time understanding any other human.

_"I was born ready!"_ she roared. _"I am a Firebreather!"_

With that, we flashed down into battle, Starsong grabbing two men at a time and tossing them over the sea ice. She flew back and forth with surprising speed, thrashing down the invaders or sending blasts of red fire into their midst. I was truly finding out a lot of Starsong today. For instance, she was even more brash and brave than I'd previously thought, and she attacked with blazing speed. Not only that, but she had more than one kind of fire. The only fire she'd previously shown me was her purple and green flames, but now I could see red fire, the fire most dragons produce.

The only thing the attackers ever saw was the splash of pure white in between the eyes of my dragon, before they were sent flying. Above me, I heard the distinctive whistle that I'd learned from Toothless was the sound of a Night Fury in the stoop, the fastest dive of a Strike Class dragon. When I heard this, only moments later there was a blinding flash as Toothless shot his white-hot plasma blast into the attacking army or the ships still approaching.

As flaming arrows shot past me, I saw a few explosions over the ships and smiled inwardly at the laughter afterwards. Ruff and Tuff sure did like to make things explode… And suddenly, an idea came to me. I found myself whistling for a nearby Monstrous Nightmare to come to me.

_"Starsong, I'm getting onto the Monstrous Nightmare. Do you think you could dive under the water and try sinking some ships?"_ I asked her, patting her long neck.

_"Sounds like fun,"_ she said, a devilish grin playing across her muzzle. I could barely see her wink in the dark haze of the night.

When the Nightmare reached my side, I hopped off Starsong and onto the dragon's neck, sitting down just behind his head and using his horns for balance. I could tell by the way he sounded that he was a male. He was a very simple-looking dragon, his wings a pale purple that also swirled over the rest of his body, mixed in with shades of green and gray.

_"Hey, boy,"_ I whispered. _"Will you fight with me?"_

_"Yes, Master,"_ he replied in a rough voice, much like how Hookfang sounded. I knew it was just the way his breed spoke. _"I am Zephyr,"_ he said.

_"I am Klara. Now, let's go!"_ I said, smiling. Beside us, Starsong folded her wings back and dove downwards with a corkscrew spiral, cleanly falling into the waves without a splash. With the roar above us, and the death cries below, she went unheard. _"Good luck, girl."_

It wasn't long before I heard a crunching and loud snap, and one of the ships began to sink. Ruff and Tuff set the surrounding ships on fire, and the Vikings inside began to dive into the freezing waters or smash through the thin ice in a futile attempt to save themselves. However, no matter how many went down, there always seemed to be plenty of both ships and men to take their places.

I rushed down into the hot battle scene, guiding Zephyr's blasts of fire in order to form circles around the attackers while trying not to burn the warriors of Berk. When the rings of fire were encircling group after group, and the invaders inside these circles were trapped, our soldiers began to shoot arrows at them.

I hated seeing it. It reminded me of the time I saw a couple of Terrible Terrors grabbing at trout stuck in a drying pond. They could barely move at all, and the little dragons just kept coming. I knew this was different, that it was war, but still, when you hear those death cries, it makes you feel worse than a monster. Taking down a trapped enemy.

_"It is the way it is,"_ Zephyr said. Even as he said it, I heard a man scream and looked down to see his blood spray out.

_"Yes, this is how it is. However, it doesn't have to be,"_ I answered simply, putting on a hard face.

As we continued blasting, I fired down a couple of my arrows at attacking men. However, it didn't stop them. Many of them wore armor of shining steel plates, and my arrows just grazed off of them harmlessly. I huffed in frustration, and so did Zephyr. Suddenly, he perked up his head, staring out at the sea.

_"What is it?"_ I asked, noticing other dragons also doing this._ "What's wrong, Zephyr?"_

In answer, Zephyr flew high into the air, and as I squinted out to sea, I nearly fell from his back. "You've got to be kidding me."

On the horizon… well, the horizon was basically blocked. It was full of ships. There were not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands. The sails were not blood red, but rather pure white, not what you would expect. The ones closest to the front seemed to have black symbols on them, but only a few. The white dots filled the indigo blue of the ocean, like stars in the sky. Or perhaps like they were littering the black mud.

"Zephyr, bring me to Stoick," I said, and the dragon turned back towards the carnage.

When he landed in front of one of the catapults, I leaped off and ran to the chief. He looked at me with an odd expression. "What are you doing here, Klara?!" he shouted, not angrily but rather with exasperation. "Get to safety!"

"Stoick, you have to give up. They have thousands of men, all better armed and protected," I said in a flash, but he just barreled past me.

"Fire!" he shouted, and flaming pieces of rubble, probably from the burning houses, rained down on the attackers from thirty catapults. "Get out of here, Klara!"

"No, you can't win this!" I said, not moving. "You will sentence all of these men and women to death it you keep fighting. If you surrender, though, you will be allowed to live."

"Do you think these people would spare us? They'll murder all of us! The children, the mothers and fathers, all of us!"

"Which is why the others and I are leading the kids away," I told him.

At that moment, Hiccup and Toothless landed a few feet away, breathing hard and covered in soot and ash. I probably looked even worse. I heard Toothless mutter, _"Too many, far too many!"_

"Dad, she's right!" Hiccup said, looking at me with a pained expression. "You can't win this one."

"We cannot stop fighting. The day we stop fighting is the day we stop being Vikings, and warriors," Stoick argued.

"You can live to fight another day. I swear to you, we'll be back," I said. "But, no matter what, we're leaving."

Stoick looked between the two of us, then put his hands to his face in anguish.

"Dad, remember last time? Do you remember what happened last time I told you not to go into battle, but you went anyway?" Hiccup asked, getting his father's attention.

Stoick stared down at Hiccup's prosthetic leg. "I remember," he said. "Go, you two. Be quick, and be stealthy, or they would follow you. We will remain here, and surrender."

With that, Stoick picked his son up in a great bear hug, nearly crushing the skinny boy. After a moment, he let Hiccup down, and I smiled at them. Moments later, Hiccup was in the air with Toothless, and I was running towards Zephyr. Before I took off, though, I looked somberly at the chief.

"Thank you, Stoick, for giving me a home. One day, I'll return to it. On that day, I will bring forth an army. That army will bring you away from this man, Arvel the Conqueror. I swear this to you, Chief," I said, mustering up all my strength into projecting my voice. I was making a pact, one that I knew I could not break. After those words left my lips, Zephyr lifted me off the ground and into the air. I joined Hiccup as we went to go gather the others.

* * *

With a single high-pitched whistle, Starsong burst from the sea, flying into the air beside us. _"So, I'm guessing we are leaving now? I was hoping I could blast apart a few more ships, but I guess I can't now,"_ Starsong said snidely as she fell in sync with our flight.

_"Yep, sorry to interrupt your fun,"_ I retorted, slightly irritated. "Okay guys, we have to go above the cloud cover," I said to them.

Ruff and Tuff had joined us after Barf and Belch reached his shot limit, and Hiccup had gotten Snotlout while we flew over the battlefield. Now, I flew Zephyr with them high above the horrific scene below us. I took up the rear, Starsong flying by my side.

_"Everything's going to be different after today,"_ I said to Starsong.

_"I'll be there for you, Klara. Do not worry, for a Firebreather does not abandon a Master,"_ Starsong replied.

I smiled at Starsong, and Zephyr turned to me with a wink.

Just before I followed the others into the clouds, I heard a loud horn below. I glanced down, and saw all activity cease. Someone held a large white flag, waving it around, while a man on one of the ships began to walk towards the one waving it. I could not see who anyone was, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Stoick was waving the flag, and the one walking towards Stoick was Arvel the Conqueror. I didn't stick around, but instead whipped through the clouds to join the others. They were hovering there, waiting for me.

"Let's go," I said, taking the lead beside Hiccup. We exchanged glances and seemed to pass between us a mutual acceptance. "We have to meet up with Fishlegs and Astrid… Oh, God. I have to make some medicine for Astrid's arm."

Snotlout gave me a funny look. "Don't you mean 'Gods'?" he asked.

I smiled. "No, I meant what I said."

On the way, I began to explain to them about my dream, and they were all gawking at me in disbelief by the end. After all, it's not everyday you are visited by a divine being. If they didn't believe me, they didn't say so.

I led the way, with Hiccup of course. I found it strange, how even the son of a chief was looking to me for leadership. Before I came, Hiccup had led them. Funny, how responsibility can be suddenly thrust upon you. I was willing to accept it, though, and smiled at the thought of being looked up to. _What would Dad say?_ I thought. Mum and Dad had always hoped I would be second-in-command one day, behind Erik.

As we began to ride, I heard my own voice replaying the words in my mind that I'd thought of and dreamed of constantly over the past few months. The words of the Calling:

_When it seems the world is in the good_  
_And there are friendships everywhere,_  
_A new evil shall stand where happiness stood_  
_And the One shall take to the air._

_Black and white, and somewhere in between_  
_But none can tell them apart_  
_She shall be chased, farther than can be seen_  
_And find an ancient brood has risen, the one hated from the start._

_She will flee and fight_  
_But then the next one shall come_  
_Then she's given the ancient sight_  
_And finds herself not knowing where she came from._

_Danger at every turn,_  
_But she'll pass it with an open mind._  
_Others will see her and learn._  
_Some shall not be so kind._

_Understanding words unknown_  
_And looking at her darkest foe_  
_The One will know what wasn't shown_  
_And find them, to face her woe._

_It is a life of sorrow,_  
_Running and running, farther than can be,_  
_Facing great challenge and death each marrow,_  
_But will return to face her enemy._

_Great power is due given_  
_From the Power of all the beyond_  
_To save those whose lives away were driven,_  
_The Era anew to be spawned_

_She will sacrifice it all_  
_She, a light in the daze._  
_For when it is given, the evil will fall,_  
_And they'll all drop to her and praise._

_She, born to be the one that lights,_  
_Shall come to her end and accept without mar._  
_And when the moon next rises bright_  
_There she will be, among the stars._

It had been happening the entire time, and there was still more to come. I'd gone through so much in the last couple months. I'd lost my tribe and best friend, my parents. I'd taken my dog and baby cousin to another island, where I learned to live a new life. I fought off a group of wild boars, and was thrown off a cliff, then had my arm amputated. I got over my fear of dragons, and adopted the offspring of the dragons my own father killed. I learned to accept all that, and I learned of the beauty of every second of simplicity. I'd found my way, and now I would have to find it again, and lead the others in their journeys as well. I would be there for them, as they had been there for me.

And I realized, this was my test. It was my test to see if I would follow through on my words, my promises, and lead an honorable mission.

I sent up a silent prayer, looking up into the sky. "Please, help me along the way," I whispered.

No one heard it, but the sound of my prayer echoed with such a strength that I could feel it lift me up and carry me on. It was like it was my prayer kept me in the air, instead of Zephyr's silent wings. No one heard the prayer, and yet Starsong turned her head towards me. The white star in between her eyes shown bright as her bright green irises glowed like the summer life. We locked our gazes, and a vow was passed between us. We spoke not with our words, but with simply our eyes. Our promise was this: we would always be together, and never let our friendship die, even in battle.

Around us, the skies turned a shade of darker gray. The clouds were gathering, and the storm was on its way. Without even registering it, I pulled the whistle from my pocket, the flute that Ida promised for me all those months ago. As I began to play it, the high notes rose above the wind with a flittering cadence. Starsong's voice joined in, adding to its marvelous beauty.

After a moment, I put the flute back, but then something else registered in my ears. Far away in the distance, very faintly, the lonely yet hopeful howls of a wolf dog rose up and swirled through the dim rays of the golden morning light.

**_******* To Be Continued *******_**

* * *

**(A/N) Yep, you saw that right, that is the end of this fanfic. The story will continue in its sequel, so be on the lookout for Basilisk: The Knowing! I'll get the first chapter of that up as soon as possible, but for now, so long!**


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